Sister of young mother killed in Minneapolis freeway shooting demands justice

Not long before Anassia Wiseman was killed in a Minneapolis highway shooting, the 24-year-old mother of two was excited about plans to study to become a nursing assistant. Now, her sister Aminah Wiseman is left searching for answers to the killing, which more than a week later remains unsolved.

“I’m hurt because she didn’t deserve this,” Aminah Wiseman, 27, said in an interview. “Anassia deserves justice. All the young, innocent women who lost their lives or been involved in gun violence, they all deserve justice.”

Officers first responded about 10:40 p.m. on June 22 to HCMC, after two women drove themselves to the Minneapolis hospital, according to a police. The women were inside a vehicle traveling west on I-394, near where the freeway passes Penn Avenue, when someone shot into their vehicle.

One of the women shot was Anassia, who passed away three days later in the hospital from her injuries. The other woman injured, Daja Huff, said she was shot in the knee while driving the car with Anassia in the back seat.

An incident report released Thursday by police called the incident “a roll up shooting,” indicating the gunfire came from another vehicle moving close by on the interstate.

Earlier that night, Huff said they had plans to go to a pool party in downtown Minneapolis, but it was over by the time they got there. They then got onto the highway and were heading towards Huff’s boyfriend’s house, Huff said, when two cars approached them on the driver’s side and began shooting. Huff’s boyfriend was also in the car during the shooting, she said.

“It was two cars, and they started shooting (at) the back of the car,” Huff said.

Aminah Wiseman said she was watching Anassia’s 7-month-old son that night, and that she was expecting them to drive that night to a different address to pick up the baby in Edina.

A while after texting with Anassia a final time a little after 10 p.m., Aminah said she started seeing social media posts about two unnamed women shot on the highway, and got an uneasy feeling. Then the father of Anassia’s son called.

 “And then all I can hear is him breaking down, telling me that my sister got shot,” Aminah said.

Aminah said she had no knowledge of Anassia being a target of anyone, and that she only cared about raising her two kids. She said she’s confused as to what led to the violent attack, and that Anassia was unable to speak after being shot.

“The police’s guess is good as mine,” Aminah said.

She described Anassia as bubbly and outspoken, and said she had been working as a manager for a Jersey Mike’s sandwich restaurant. Aminah said both of them had talked about going to school to become nursing assistants recently.

“We were tired of the jobs we were working, and she wanted, as she said, a ‘big girl job’ to have more income for her and her kids,” Aminah said.

An arrest has not been made as of Monday afternoon. In a statement released Thursday, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara promised that investigators would continue their push to find who carried it out.

“Two families have had their lives forever changed by gun violence,” the statement read. “One of those families had hope that their loved one would recover and experienced further tragedy when that hope was lost. Our investigators will not let her family lose the hope that whoever is responsible will be brought to justice.”

Anassia’s other child was an 8-year-old girl from a previous relationship. Aminah said the death is especially hard because the girl’s father was shot and killed two years ago. She urged anyone who has information on the shooting to come forward.

“If you’ve seen anything, or know anything, please just turn yourself in,” Aminah said.

Paul Walsh of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this report.