Hopkins: A 41-year-old Minnesota man killed his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at the couple’s home-based daycare while other children were present, then took his own life, authorities said Wednesday. Investigators also believe the man killed a 78-year-old female relative at a separate residence before carrying out the Hopkins attack, AP reported.
The man reportedly used a knife to fatally attack his wife and daughter at Brown Bear Childcare in Hopkins, a Minneapolis suburb, before shooting himself. Police said the incident unfolded as young children were arriving at the daycare.
Six other children inside the facility escaped physical harm, officials said. A parent who had come to drop off a child witnessed the attack in the basement and contacted police, Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said.
“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Johnson said at a news conference.
The police chief later described the scene as especially disturbing because of the possibility that children may have seen the violence.
“This is a tragic day and horrific scene for little children to witness, if they did witness this,” Johnson said.
The earlier killing came to light more than three hours after the Hopkins deaths. Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith said officers were dispatched to a home in his city, roughly 20 miles from Hopkins, where they found a woman who had been fatally stabbed.
Smith said investigators believe the Burnsville death and the killings at the daycare are connected. Police believe the man had been residing at the Burnsville property with the woman, whom Smith described as a “close family relative.”
Authorities have not released the names of any of the victims. Johnson said investigators had not established a motive and were still working to determine the exact sequence of events in the two communities.
He also said police had no record of earlier calls involving the Hopkins property.
Amanda Marx, a nurse who lives across the street from the daycare, said she did not initially realize that a serious incident was unfolding. She noticed something was wrong only after seeing officers attempting to force their way through the front door.
Marx said the officers then went around to the rear of the house. They later returned and requested crime-scene tape.
Soon afterward, several children came out of the property, including one who was carried by a police officer, she said.
She said she could not recall any earlier disturbances at the residence.
“I’m just trying to figure out how to explain to my 7-year-old why there’s crime scene tape on our deck,” she said.
State records show that Brown Bear Childcare received its licence in 2019 and was authorised to care for up to 10 children. The facility was reported to be in compliance during state visits conducted in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Johnson said fatal violence was uncommon in Hopkins and acknowledged the emotional impact the case had on responding officers.
“I could see on the look on their faces that this was one of those ones that you’ll remember for your entire career, if not life,” Johnson said.
Police continued investigating the deaths and the suspected connection between the Hopkins daycare and the Burnsville residence.
