Mariah Samuels' death is an unspeakable tragedy. And to be clear, the man charged with her killing, David Wright, is responsible for Mariah Samuels' death and must be held accountable. Mariah, like all victims of domestic violence, deserved to feel safe at home and in our city.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara is ordering a thorough review of the Minneapolis Police Department's response to the Mariah Samuels case.

In addition, Chief O'Hara has directed all officers to be retrained on response to domestic violence by the end of this year. He also directed that domestic violence and order of protection protocols be updated to require officers to ask the victim if they feel safe and to take affirmative action based on their response.

Domestic violence response

The City of Minneapolis uses every available resource and statutory authority to follow up on reports of assault, investigate crimes, and provide resources and support to victims and survivors. We work in concert with partners – all of which play a role in supporting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice – including the City's Neighborhood Safety Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and community-based nonprofit groups that help victims of domestic violence stay safe.

MPD Domestic Violence Unit

The Minneapolis Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit consists of five committed members who dedicate many hours to support survivors. Given the high number of these cases and limited resources, the team must triage and prioritize cases based on the best available leads – but we review or investigate every report, consider all options to protect survivors, and gather every piece of evidence to assist in prosecution.

Neighborhood Safety Department

The Minneapolis Neighborhood Safety Department also contracts with several organizations that support victims/survivors of domestic violence. MPD has participated in a working group with law enforcement partners, the county, and other agencies working to build toward a permanent, multidisciplinary Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) to identify high-risk patterns and intervene before anything escalates.

Our commitment

No one should feel alone when trying to escape a dangerous relationship. We will never stop pursuing ways to strengthen the system – seeking to improve our capabilities, coordinate with our partners, and learn everything we can from each case. And we will continue fighting for survivors by offering support and resources, while doing everything we can to hold offenders accountable and prevent another life from being taken.