Veteran-Support Nonprofit Internship Director Dies After Attempted Auto Theft Incident in Minneapolis
Published: May 19th 2026
MINNEAPOLIS: A nonprofit organization that supports veterans and their families is mourning the loss of one of its leaders after he died from injuries suffered during what police say began as an attempted vehicle theft in South Minneapolis.
Rick's Coffee Bar and ETS announced the death of Internship Director Amos Ferrier in a statement released after Minneapolis Police Department confirmed the 38-year-old man died days after the May 15 incident in the 5400 block of 43rd Avenue South.
The organization described Ferrier as a decorated Army medic who served in Afghanistan and was credited with saving multiple lives during his military service.
“It is with profound sadness that we have lost our Internship Director, Amos Ferrier,” the organization said in part. “We don’t have co-workers at ETS, we have family members. Amos was our brother.”
According to MPD, officers responded around 1:35 p.m. on May 15 to what was initially reported as a personal injury accident. Officers found Ferrier unconscious in the street after he had been thrown from a vehicle and immediately began providing medical aid before he was transported to Hennepin Healthcare with life-threatening injuries.
Preliminary information released by police states Ferrier confronted two people who were allegedly attempting to steal his vehicle. The suspects then abandoned the attempted theft and ran back to the vehicle they had arrived in.
Investigators say that as the suspects attempted to flee, Ferrier was either struck by the suspects’ vehicle or jumped onto the hood. Police said the suspects continued driving “evasively,” causing him to be thrown from the hood and suffer a serious head injury before the suspects fled the area.
On Sunday, May 17, MPD was notified that Ferrier had died from injuries sustained in the incident.
MPD homicide investigators are continuing to investigate the full sequence of events that led to the incident. No arrests have been announced.
“This is a tragic event that has devastated a family and shocked the community,” Chief Brian O'Hara said in a statement. “The reckless disregard for the value of human life shown in this case is horrifying, and those responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The MPD incident number is 26-128233.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Minneapolis police investigators at 612-673-5845 or by email at policetips@minneapolismn.gov. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.