Brooklyn Park Man Accused of Striking, Killing Neighbor Has History of Police Calls
Brooklyn Park police records show the man accused of striking and killing his neighbor with his SUV had a history of police calls. The 46-year-old suspect, who is in police custody, faces a possible criminal vehicular homicide charge.
Police say the suspect intentionally struck 67-year-old Paul Pfeifer on Saturday night. Pfeifer later died at an area hospital.
According to police records, it’s not the first time the suspect in Pfeifer’s death had complaints from neighbors.
“The whole neighborhood has been terrified of him,” said neighbor Kari Stimac, who lives next door to the suspect.
Stimac says she and her husband had a few run-ins with the neighbor.
“My husband came running into the house yelling for me to call 911, and I was like ‘what’s going on,’ and he was like, ‘the neighbor just attacked me,'” she explained.
Stimac also called 911 last Friday after seeing the suspect with two knives and acting suspiciously.
“They were trying to put a mental health hold on him for that incident. But they didn’t get a judge to sign off on it until yesterday,” said Stimac.
‘It’s a breakdown in our mental health system’
Police documents show authorities were called six times to the home where the suspect was staying for mental health situations. Cases date back to February of 2018 and as recently as May of this year. There were also calls for disputes with neighbors.
According to police, Pfeifer told his husband that he saw the suspect driving fast in the neighborhood, almost hitting him, raising concerns before Saturday’s fatal incident. It’s uncertain, however, why the suspect targeted Pfeifer.
“We don’t believe there’s ever been any direct contact between the victim and the suspect,” said Mark Bruley, deputy chief for the Brooklyn Park Police Department.
Brooklyn Park police has a social worker embedded within the department and say that person offered the suspect resources and connected him with mental health professionals.
Meanwhile, some neighbors are angry, saying this tragedy could have been prevented.
“It’s a breakdown in our mental health system for sure because he’s violent, and he’s very mentally ill, and I don’t know how he got back out,” said Stimac.
Photo of Paul Pfeifer who was struck and killed Saturday
