Remarks: Media Event on Domestic Violence and Accountability from City of Minneapolis Executive Leaders
Video stream provided by FOX 9. The Hennepin County Board Office of Chair Irene Fernando is not affiliated with FOX 9 or responsible for any other content in the broadcast.
DISCLAIMER: This statement contains references to Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner homicide that may be distressing to readers. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available.
Domestic Abuse Service Center: Call 612-348-5073
Minnesota Day One: Call 1-866-223-1111 or text 612-399-9977
Watch my remarks from a media event I held alongside Domestic Violence providers to call for accountability, transparency, and action from City of Minneapolis executive leaders regarding the handling of domestic violence incidents and the mistreatment of domestic violence victims by the Minneapolis Police Department.
I highlighted Minneapolis Police Department’s actions related to Mariah Samuels, a 34-year-old Northside resident who was the victim of domestic assault at the hands of her abuser in August before being murdered in September.
Joining me as speakers were Violence Free Minnesota, Cornerstone, and Domestic Abuse Project. Domestic Violence providers in attendance were Asian Women United of Minnesota, Standpoint, and Transforming Generations.
[My Remarks Below]
Thank you all for being here. I am Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando, but you can call me Commish, and I use she/her pronouns.
In 2019, I became the youngest woman to ever serve on the Hennepin County Board. I’m the first Filipino American to be elected in the state of Minnesota, and in 2023, I became the first Board Chair of color in Hennepin's 173-year history.
Today, I will share troubling information regarding the handling of domestic violence incidents and mistreatment of domestic violence victims by the Minneapolis Police Department, including a lack of accountability for these failures at MPD and in City Hall.
I previously released information regarding my attempts to get answers for my neighbors and our community regarding the preventable murder of Mariah Samuels, as well as two overdue After-Action reports focused on MPD responses to the death of Allison Lussier and the shooting of Davis Moturi in 2024.
There has been extensive reporting recently on the Minneapolis Police Department refusing to cooperate with audits being conducted by the Minneapolis City Auditor.
As a policymaker, it is protocol and respectful to engage directly with other policymakers – and yet Mayor Frey has not exhibited intrinsic leadership, effective due diligence, or moral resolve regarding domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and gun violence.
Since 2018, the Mayor has been the sole elected leader responsible for MPD.
He appoints the Police Chief. He is the only policymaker with direct authority over MPD.
And in 2022, he became the first Minneapolis Mayor to hold expanded executive authority – in part because he asserted that police accountability could only be possible with additional power.
Any gap in performance, transparency, or accountability related to MPD resides with the Mayor of Minneapolis. Mayor Frey’s lack of leadership to respond to these documented systemic failures is proving to be dangerous for the community – especially women, victims, survivors, and children who have been threatened by violence.
We are now forced to add a third devastating case to the list of recent failures by MPD.
Mariah Samuels was murdered by her abuser on September 14, 2025. Less than a month before, on August 21, she called 911 to report a violent assault in which her abuser pistol-whipped her and fled the scene before police arrived.
Such situations are called Gone on Arrival, or G-O-A.
On August 25, eight GOA cases – including Ms. Samuels' - were referred to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
On the same day, the County Attorney’s Office requested MPD to investigate the case further.
On August 26, Ms. Samuels visited the Domestic Abuse Service Center, or DASC, within the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, where she received assistance in completing and submitting an Order For Protection, or an O-F-P.
The next day the Court granted the OFP, which contained details from the August 21 assault and several addresses – notably Ms. Samuels’ home on the 1400 block of Russell Avenue and the location of the August 21 assault on the 1500 block of Newton Avenue.
Ms. Samuels’ abuser was served with the OFP – with these addresses listed – on August 29.
MPD did not assign an Investigator between August 21 and September 14 – August 21 being the first GOA, and September 14 the date when Ms. Samuels’ life came to a violent and tragic end.
On September 14, in the early hours of the morning, Ms. Samuels called 911 again. Her abuser had violated the OFP by texting her about where she was and who she was with that morning.
Inconsistent with MPD’s stated commitments to conduct a Lethality Risk Assessment in such situations, no assessment was conducted on this date.
Even more troubling, as covered in reporting published this morning, there are substantial fabrications in the police report when compared to body-worn camera footage of the officer speaking to Ms. Samuels.
The officer did not ask her if she felt safe and instead made the assumption that she “appeared” safe. The officer wrote in the police report that she said her abuser would not know where she was currently staying; she specifically stated the opposite.
No domestic violence resources were offered to Ms. Samuels again, because the officer reported that she did not “appear scared” – but why would anyone call 911 in the early hours of the morning after an OFP was granted if they were not scared?
Hours later, Mariah Samuels was murdered – brutally shot ten times at her North Minneapolis home.
In the aftermath of this horrifying crime, I sought answers from MPD and Mayor Frey several times. More than a week later, I received a letter from the MPD Deputy Chief who repeated multiple elements of the police report that have since been found to be untrue.
Mayor Frey has resisted providing even simple questions like staffing levels of Domestic Violence Investigators at MPD for weeks. Therefore, I cannot trust he is engaging with the systemic questions and data needed to address community safety.
If this is about caseloads and resources, then why has the City of Minneapolis chosen to not provide the necessary data in order to uncover systemic gaps and resolve needs?
To date, I have received no data from the City on staffing and no proactive leadership in this space. If I, as a policymaker with a gavel and a title, cannot get answers, then how can I trust my residents, neighbors, and constituents are?
This morning’s reporting shows a material decrease in Domestic Violence Investigators. If there was a decrease in staffing and resources allocated toward Domestic Violence from 2018 to present, then Mayor Frey must explain why his budgets have deprioritized victims and survivors.
It is with profound sadness, sincere ire, and unrelenting resolve that I publicly speak to residents and community today.
MPD has promised yet another review. MPD’s failure to investigate Allison Lussier’s death? Review.
MPD’s handling of Davis Moturi’s shooting? Review.
MPD’s failure to address clear danger to Mariah Samuels? Review.
Yet MPD will not cooperate with the City of Minneapolis’ audits, and now we’re learning they are refusing to release results of their own review – a potential violation of the City Charter.
As policymakers, we are constantly seeking to advance questions and issues that do not have clear recommendations. Alongside domestic violence providers, who have been doing this work for decades, the answers, best practices, and expectations are clear. They were studied in 2023, they were studied in 2017, and we expect accountability, transparency, and action today.
It is with a very heavy heart to share that as a Minneapolis resident myself, I too am a woman of color in my 30s who lives in North Minneapolis, where the 4th Precinct is meant to respond if I need help. I must share publicly that I have no confidence that the City of Minneapolis – under the current leadership structure – is capable of seeking justice and reforms that will prevent similar killings in the future.
Moving forward, I will continue centering Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence among my priorities, and I promise to remain focused on strengthening systems to ensure that Minneapolis is a safe place where people can trust calling 911.
To residents who have experienced the harm or inaction described today: I consider you my constituent and promise to continue to fight for your safety, dignity, and justice. And to the families and communities of those I’ve named today – I see you and hear you.
To our partners and providers, the people who have dedicated their lives to this work every day: thank you for your advocacy and for standing up and supporting this difficult and necessary work. I am very open to feedback and suggestions, and I look forward to remaining alongside residents, partners and providers as we build a more equitable, accountable, and safe Minneapolis and Hennepin County.
It is my privilege to stand alongside those who do the work every single day, so I will first invite up Violence Free Minnesota to speak.
[End of My Remarks]
Follow-Up Documentation
As shown in the video of the Media Event above, I took questions from the audience until there were none. One line of questioning centered on documentation and correspondence with City of Minneapolis executive leaders, and I stated that I would work to publish these communications.
As such, see below for documentation in chronological order, with descriptive titles and hyperlinked to PDFs. I have also included the only additional policymaker correspondence on this topic (two HCAO letters).
Fernando-Frey emails related to the September 17 letter and September 24 meeting request.
Note: this remains the only formal communication from the City of Minneapolis on this topic, and disturbingly, elements of this letter have since been disproven and yet still no written correction from the City of Minneapolis.
Specifically, I later learned on October 22 verbally from Mayor Frey that, in fact, MPD had not assigned an Investigator from August 21 (the date of the first GOA) to September 14 (the date of Ms. Samuels’ murder).
Note: during several meetings, HCAO highlighted a typo on page 2 in the second section; the date of Ms. Samuels' murder was corrected from 9/21 to 9/14.
First additional attachment was a document regarding the Gone On Arrival (GOA) process.
Fernando-Moriarty emails related to September 29 letter and October 3 meeting.
Fernando-Frey emails related to October 17 letter and October 22 meeting agenda.
On October 28, I received this letter from Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty.
On October 30, I emailed this Media Advisory for that afternoon.
On October 30, I emailed this Press Release after the conclusion of the media event.
CLOSING rEFLECTIONS
At the conclusion of yesterday's media event and after all of the public questions were asked, I was approached by three separate media outlets with a follow-up question that has gnawed at me all night and into today. “We have heard from Mayor Frey’s campaign, and they are suggesting that the timing is politically motivated. Do you have a response?”
I must say: I was taken aback yesterday, and I remain aghast as I type today. The Mayor did not dispute the devastating facts related to Domestic Violence, nor did the Mayor counter my assessment that he lacks intrinsic leadership, effective due diligence, and moral resolve. And he has never publicly written or acknowledged Mariah Samuels by name. But the Mayor took the time to pre-emptively offer comments to media outlets to assert or accuse me of what exactly? After seeking clarity from the media outlets, Mayor Frey’s point against me related to: timing, political motivation, and electoral outcome.
First, on timing: Would the Mayor recommend that I delay the amplification of Domestic Violence victims’ stories and harm? I am personally much more concerned about the “timing” of twenty full days between August 25 (the first date that MPD had the authority to arrest Ms. Samuels’ abuser on Probable Cause due to the details of the August 21 assault and first 911 call) and September 14 (the date of Ms. Samuels’ second 911 call, and hours later, her brutal murder). I am also deeply concerned about the “timing” of seventeen days between August 29 (the date the OFP was served) and September 14.
Second, on political motivation: My political motivations are primarily implemented via governing versus campaigning, so from this lens, perhaps the Mayor’s assertion is accurate. I entered governing in 2019 as a Hennepin County Commissioner, and Mayor Frey has governed in his current seat since 2018 (and previously held the Ward 3 seat on the Minneapolis City Council). With this many years, I believe we should be held accountable to governing results versus campaign promises.
Third, on electoral outcome: I am not thinking about next week. I am thinking about who is calling 911 right now, the dozens of GOA cases with no follow-up, and the dozens of Domestic Violence cases with no Investigator. If concern about electoral survivability is more centered than the survivability of victims and women, then we are absolutely not in the same conversation. Whoever the Mayor is, whenever the Mayor is elected – this person is the sole elected official with authority over MPD, and is the primary elected official with authority to propose budgets and staffing.
In closing: While today is the last official day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I promise to center victims, women, children, families, and advocates in my priorities every day moving forward. I believe we can transform systems of oppression into systems of compassion through curious inquiry, collaborative partners, and accountable leadership.