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Police: 19-Year-Old Pedestrian Killed In St. Paul Crash ID'd

By Kate Raddatz and Mary McGuire

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Police have identified a 19-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a vehicle Friday night in St. Paul.

Zahra Mohamed, 19, of St. Paul, died near the intersection of McKnight Road North and Burns Avenue. The crash happened just before 6 p.m.

Police originally identified the person who died as a man. Another pedestrian involved in the crash, a 22-year-old woman from St. Paul, received multiple injuries, but none of them are considered life-threatening.

Dawn Stern and her daughter, Shelby Rhodes, were driving on McKnight Road Friday night on their way to grab a bite to eat. They had to slam on their breaks at the pedestrian crossing near the intersection.

"I saw a person go flying up in the air in front of the truck," Stern, from St. Paul, said.

They then saw two people lying in the street. Rhodes called 911, while Stern held the hand of the woman that was responsive.

"She asked me to hold her hand, so I just got down and held her hand," Stern said. "I tried to keep her calm until help arrived."

Paul Sawyer is the Land Use Committee Chair of the St. Paul District 1 Community Council. He told WCCO the crash should be a wake-up call for county public works to make improvements to the crossing.

There is currently no stop sign or light at the crosswalk that leads to Battle Creek Regional Park.

"We've been asking for solutions for years," Sawyer said. "We want to hear what the professionals have to say, but something needs to be done."

Since moving to the area in December, Shane White has made a habit of running the trails at Battle Creek Regional Park. White has to use the crosswalk to get there, and he says he won't go after dark.

"There's no indication that people are crossing," White said. "People just have to pay attention."

The vehicle that struck the pedestrians was traveling southbound on McKnight Road at the time of the crash. Authorities say the crash remains under investigation, and no arrests have been made.

This marks the fourth pedestrian fatality in the Twin Cities in just three days.

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