Minneapolis mental health facility attack charges: Man killed 1, injured 4 with household objects

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man already facing charges in the alleged shooting of a coworker and attacks on several hospital staff is now accused of killing one person and assaulting four others with a firewood log, lamp post, fork and fire extinguisher at a residential mental health facility in Minneapolis.

Deadly attack at Minneapolis mental health facility

The backstory:

Derek Duane Faulkner, 31, is charged with one count of intentional second-degree murder and four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Minneapolis police responded to multiple 911 calls from a residential mental health facility around 6:36 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, according to the complaint.

A staff member reportedly told dispatch that Faulkner had already attacked three people, was actively attacking another person with a fork, and was "making threats to kill everyone." 

Officers arrived and took Faulkner into custody. As he was being handcuffed, he allegedly told officers, "I think I killed someone." 

Police located 5 victims

What we know:

Officers went to the second floor of the facility and found a man inside his bedroom with significant lacerations and blunt-force injuries to his face. The man was covered in white powder, and officers reported seeing what appeared to be blood spattered throughout the room, according to the complaint.

The victim was taken to HCMC, where medical personnel also found internal injuries presumed to be from fire extinguisher chemicals. Court records say the man died shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Law enforcement also identified four additional victims in the residence. 

One man reportedly ran downstairs around 6 a.m. with a bloody face, yelling that someone had attacked him in his sleep. He suffered a cut to his forehead that required stitches.

A staff member told investigators that while he was getting towels to help the injured man, Faulkner allegedly approached him from behind, put him in a choke hold and began stabbing him in the arm with a fork.

The staff member escaped and locked himself in an office. He told investigators he then saw Faulkner grab a log from a fireplace and head upstairs.

Another resident told investigators he woke up to Faulkner entering his room, and he allegedly started hitting him with a firewood log saying he was "going to kill people," charges read. 

A woman also reported Faulkner entered her room and hit her in the head with a lamp post. 

What we don't know:

Charging documents do not detail the extent of the injuries suffered by those three victims or whether they required medical treatment. It’s unclear whether anyone else was in the residence at the time of the attack.

FOX 9 reached out to Minneapolis police for more information about the mental health facility.

Alleged shooting of coworker

Dig deeper:

The Hennepin County criminal complaint noted Faulkner had a pending attempted murder charge in Sherburne County.  

According to court records, on Aug. 25, Faulkner walked into Faulkner Machine in Zimmerman and allegedly fired a rifle at a coworker, who was struck in the arm by shrapnel. 

Earlier that night, Faulkner's mother allegedly contacted another employee saying Faulkner was "not doing well" and asked that his vehicle keys be taken away. His parents also reported seeing him on a Ring camera wielding a golf club, knife and long gun.

Faulkner eventually surrendered to deputies and was charged with attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Court records show Faulkner posted a $500,000 noncash bond on Aug. 28 for the attempted-murder charge. 

Alleged attack at Mercy Hospital

Additional assault charges:

The following day, on Aug. 29, Coon Rapids police were called to Mercy Hospital after staff reported a patient in the emergency room was assaulting employees.

According to charges, Faulkner had arrived at the hospital on a hold and became violent.

A mental health coordinator told investigators Faulkner jumped up and punched her twice in the chest. A nurse who tried to intervene was allegedly punched several times, including once in the face. A security guard was also allegedly attacked when he entered the room and told investigators Faulkner began throwing "haymakers," several of which hit him.

Faulkner was receiving treatment for a laceration to his head and was under a medical hold, so he was not taken into custody at the time. The complaint does not say how he suffered the head injury.

Prosecutors charged Faulkner with four felony counts of fourth-degree assault in connection with the hospital incident.

Civil commitment case

The other side:

Court records show a petition for judicial commitment involving Faulkner was filed Sept. 1, followed by an order for commitment on Sept. 15. The underlying documents in the civil commitment case are not publicly available.

The Hennepin County criminal complaint acknowledges that Faulkner has a pending civil commitment case but does not say whether the Minneapolis residential mental health facility where Monday's attack occurred was connected to that commitment or how long Faulkner had been at the facility.

What's next:

Faulkner is scheduled to make his first appearance on the Hennepin County murder charge on Wednesday afternoon. He is currently in custody at the Hennepin County Jail. 

The Source: This story uses information from criminal complaints filed in Anoka, Hennepin and Sherburne counties, in addition to other court records.