Man Charged With Murder, Four Assaults After Attacks at Minneapolis Mental Health Facility
Hennepin County Jail Booking Photo
Published: September 29th, 2026.
MINNEAPOLIS MN — A 31-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder and four counts of second-degree assault after prosecutors allege he attacked multiple people inside a residential mental health facility in Minneapolis early Monday morning.
Derek Duane Faulkner is charged in Hennepin County District Court with one count of second-degree intentional murder, without premeditation, and four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the alleged attacks on Sept. 28.
According to the criminal complaint, Minneapolis officers were called to the facility around 6:36 a.m. after multiple 911 calls. A staff member allegedly told dispatch that Faulkner had attacked several people, was attacking another person with a fork and was threatening to kill people.
Officers arrived and quickly located and arrested Faulkner, according to the complaint. Prosecutors allege he had blood on his right hand and a powdery substance on his clothing that investigators later determined came from a fire extinguisher.
While officers were placing him in handcuffs, Faulkner allegedly said, “I think I killed someone,” the complaint states.
Police then located an adult male inside a second-floor room with significant facial injuries. According to the complaint, the room contained blood-like spatter and the victim was covered in white powder. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he later died at approximately 12:58 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Prosecutors allege four other people were also attacked.
One man suffered a forehead laceration that required stitches after reportedly running downstairs with a bloody face and saying he had been attacked while sleeping.
A staff member told investigators that Faulkner allegedly approached him from behind, placed him in a chokehold and stabbed his arm with a fork. The staff member escaped and locked himself inside an office, according to the complaint. He reported seeing Faulkner take a log from near a fireplace and head upstairs.
Another man told investigators he woke up to Faulkner entering his room and allegedly striking him with a firewood log while making threats to kill people. An adult woman reported that Faulkner entered her room and struck her in the head with a lamp post, according to the complaint.
Faulkner remains in custody. Prosecutors requested high bail and no conditional release, citing other pending court matters involving Faulkner.
The second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Each second-degree assault charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and/or a $14,000 fine.
The charges are allegations. Faulkner is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.