Charges Filed in April Fatal Crash in Bloomington

 

A Bloomington man is charged with criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation after authorities say he caused a fatal crash in April while driving drunk in Bloomington.

According to a complaint filed Tuesday, Dior Cortez Wheeler, 32, is accused of driving a Ford Fusion that crossed into oncoming traffic near 86th Street East and Old Cedar Avenue South on the night of April 27 and slammed head-on into a Toyota Sienna minivan, killing a woman riding with him and injuring the two people in the van.

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Emergency crews arrived around 11:23 p.m. to find the Fusion on fire and a woman lying unresponsive on the ground nearby. Bloomington firefighters told officers they had pulled her from the back side of the car before it caught fire. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner found that she died of blunt force injuries from the crash.

Wheeler initially told officers that he had been the passenger and that the woman had asked to drive his car after the two met at a bar. He claimed he was on his phone in the front passenger seat when she crashed the car. Wheeler also said he had been drinking earlier that evening but claimed to have had only one beer and a shot of whiskey.

However, officers noted inconsistencies in Wheeler’s story and began collecting forensic evidence. The driver’s side seatbelt was locked, suggesting it was worn during the crash, while the passenger seatbelt was not. A baseball cap and a set of keys labeled with the woman’s name were found on the driver’s side floorboard, and a separate set of keys was still in the ignition.

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Investigators obtained a search warrant and photographed Wheeler’s injuries. According to the charges, he had distinct bruising across his chest from left shoulder to right hip, consistent with the pattern of a driver’s side seatbelt. The woman did not have bruising that would suggest she had been wearing a seatbelt.

Swabs from the driver’s side airbags were also sent to the BCA for DNA testing. Results received July 29 confirmed that Wheeler’s DNA was a match for the major male profile on the airbag. A blood sample collected from Wheeler shortly after the crash showed an alcohol concentration of 0.191—more than twice the legal limit. The test also revealed THC metabolites in his system.

Wheeler has two prior impaired driving incidents, including a gross misdemeanor DWI in 2024 and a license revocation in 2015. His license was revoked at the time of the April crash.

The van’s occupants both sustained injuries. The rideshare driver was hospitalized with a chest contusion. His passenger was treated for a leg injury and rib contusion. Both told police that a fast-moving car crossed the center line and hit them head-on.

One witness on a bicycle also reported seeing the Ford Fusion speeding and driving recklessly moments before the crash.

Authorities attempted to maintain contact with Wheeler as forensic testing took place. Authorities say Wheeler has not responded to multiple contact attempts and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. If convicted on the most serious charges, Wheeler faces up to 15 years in prison.

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