Manslaughter charges filed against Minneapolis woman accused of killing two in fiery car crash

A woman whose driver's license had been revoked has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide after she allegedly ran a red light and caused a fiery two-vehicle crash Monday morning in Minneapolis that left two people dead, others injured and a Metro Transit bus shelter destroyed.

Teniki Steward, 38, of Minneapolis, was charged Friday in Hennepin County District Court with two felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide and two felony counts of criminal vehicular operation. Charges say she was speeding at the time of the crash and, according to jail records, she was booked on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.

The two women who died in the crash were Esther Jean Fulks, 53, and Rose Elaine Reece, 57, both of Minneapolis. They died soon after the wreck at 26th and Emerson avenues N., the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office said. Fulks died at the scene, while Reece was declared dead at North Memorial Health Hospital.

Steward had been in custody at the Hennepin County jail since Tuesday, but was released Thursday because charges had not yet been filed. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement announcing the charges that her office had been in close contact with the Minneapolis Police Department and that a case was submitted on Thursday before Steward was charged Friday.

"This was another completely avoidable incident of a car being driven irresponsibly with disastrous consequences," Moriarty said. "Our thoughts are with the surviving victims and with the families of the two members of our community who were killed."

Steward has no serious criminal history in Minnesota, but has been charged twice since 2021 with driving without a valid license.

According to court and police documents:

Minneapolis police officers arrived to find EMS and Minneapolis Fire Department officials on the scene with crash wreckage spanning the intersection. A Buick Enclave with a badly damaged front end was in the yard of a resident. Steward was still inside the Buick. A Ford Explorer had been hit with such force that it traveled up Emerson Avenue N. and hit a Metro Transit bus shelter. A 17-year-old boy had been waiting at the shelter to be picked up for school. The boy was taken to the hospital and treated for a broken collarbone.

Officials have not released the identity of the injured teenager.

Surveillance video showed the Buick speeding northbound on Emerson Avenue, causing an accident at the intersection of Broadway Avenue before continuing to speed towards 26th Avenue where it ran a red light and crashed into the Ford Explorer.

An officer spoke with Steward, who said she was driving the Buick.

An HCMC spokesperson said that Steward's passenger, 61-year-old Jerome Marcell Williams of Minneapolis, was in satisfactory condition but had dislocated his hip. Court records show the two have shared a home at one time.

At the time of the crash, Steward was behind the wheel after having her driving privileges revoked more than a year ago, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Fulks was "a mother of four and very loved in her community!" daughter D'Nia Fulks posted on an online fundraising page started on behalf of the family.

Fulks said a balloon release will be held at the intersection at 2 p.m. Saturday in memory of her mother and Reece. A vigil also will take place at the intersection at 1 p.m. Sunday.