On the evening of April 26, 2026, Minneapolis police responded to a residence on Colfax Avenue North in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, on a report that a juvenile was being assaulted by her mother. The juvenile caller also reported to 911 dispatch that her mother had strangled her and pulled a knife on her. Upon arrival, officers encountered LEQSHA SHANAYE CARTER, Defendant herein, outside the residence. Officers observed that Defendant appeared "very drunk." Police then spoke to the victim, the 15-year-old daughter of Defendant.
The victim reported that her mother loses her temper easily when she is drunk and had become angry at the victim because of something the victim said. Defendant physically attacked the victim, [NAME REDACTED] in the head multiple times, then choking the victim by squeezing the victim's neck with both hands. The victim [NAME REDACTED], faint, and urinating a little while she was being choked. Defendant then went into the kitchen and retrieved a knife from the knife block. Defendant returned to where the victim was and brandished the knife at the victim saying, "B****, I kill you," and "I finna stab you." Officers were unable to locate the knife used by Defendant during the assault but did observe a knife block in the home with a missing knife.
The handles of the other knives were consistent in appearance with the victim's description. Another adult whom the victim [NAME REDACTED] was also present, but police observed that the aunt was far too intoxicated to provide a coherent statement about the incident. Defendant was placed under arrest and transported to jail. Defendant engaged in physical and verbal resistance as officers placed her under arrest for assaulting her daughter. On April 27, an investigator made contact with another witness, a juvenile female, whom the victim identified as being present for a portion of the assault.
The witness told the investigator that she saw Defendant punch the victim multiple times with a closed fist then choke the victim [NAME REDACTED] told Defendant that she couldn't breathe and cried. Defendant went into the kitchen, and the witness heard what sounded like utensils moving around. The witness then heard the victim say something about Defendant grabbing a knife, and Defendant repeatedly stated that she was "going to go to jail today." The investigator also reached the victim on April 27, and the victim provided a statement that was consistent with what she told responding officers on April 26. The victim [NAME REDACTED] investigator that her younger brother, age 5, was present for the assault.
Defendant is in custody. Defendant was previously the subject of petitions for commitment in 2008 (mentally ill) and 2020 (mentally ill and chemically dependent). In 2020, the petition was initiated after while Defendant was approximately 19-weeks-pregnant and actively using cannabis and crack/cocaine. Defendant's mental health diagnoses at that time included depression, bipolar, and PTSD.
