10-plus years after killing another driver in Minneapolis, northern Minnesota man convicted of hitting 2 people with car

More than 10 years after killing another driver at a south Minneapolis intersection, a northern Minnesota man has been found guilty by a jury of hitting two people with his car and seriously injuring them.

Kevin R. Doerr, 35, was convicted Thursday in U.S. District Court of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury in connection with him targeting people with his car on April 7, 2020, on the White Earth Indian Reservation. His sentencing has yet to be scheduled.

The jury "held Mr. Doerr accountable for assaulting an individual and terrorizing a small, quiet community," said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:

Doerr was driving erratically through Elbow Lake Village, where neighbors called 911 to report that Doerr was trying to run people over and chasing people through the neighborhood.

When law enforcement arrived, they found a chaotic scene with neighbors outside and two badly injured victims whom Doerr had run over.

Doerr was arrested and the victims were taken by air ambulance to a hospital.

In March 2011, Doerr was given a five-year sentence after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in the death of Ethan T. Johnson, 37, a University of Minnesota research associate.

Doerr was driving more than 60 mph at S. 18th Avenue and E. 35th Street in September 2010 when his vehicle slammed into the one Johnson was driving. Three of Johnson's relatives who were riding in his car survived their injuries.

Upon sentencing, Hennepin County District Judge Richard Scherer turned to Doerr, looked him in the eye and said, "I hope it dawns on Mr. Doerr how his actions affected people."