A Minnesota man fatally stabbed his wife and 7-year-old daughter at their home daycare in Hopkins before taking his own life on Wednesday. Police believe the 41-year-old assailant also killed a 78-year-old relative in Burnsville prior to the attack, which left six other children unharmed.
What began as a routine morning drop-off at a Minneapolis suburb daycare quickly turned into a horrifying multi-scene tragedy on Wednesday. Investigators and local officials revealed that a 41-year-old man carried out a violent attack inside Brown Bear Childcare, an in-home daycare located on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North in Hopkins, police responded to a report of a stabbing around 9 a.m. after a parent witnessed the assault while bringing a child inside.
The suspect, who owned the daycare with his wife, fatally stabbed her and their 7-year-old daughter before taking his own life with a firearm, according to authorities who confirmed the 41-year-old man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Six other children present in the basement daycare at the time were evacuated safely and reunited with their parents without physical harm.
Burnsville Connection and Sourced Timeline
The violence at the Hopkins daycare was not an isolated incident. More than three hours after the killings, police in Burnsville made a grim discovery 20 miles away. Officers responding to a home in Burnsville found a 78-year-old woman who had been fatally stabbed. Burnsville Chief Matt Smith said investigators believe the two tragedies are linked, noting that the suspect had been living at the residence of the elderly woman, whom police described as a close family relative.
Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson noted that determining the exact sequence of events between the two locations will take time. Records show that Brown Bear Childcare had been licensed by the state since 2019 with a capacity of 10 children, and was found to be in compliance during safety visits in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Johnson added that police records showed no prior history of calls to the Hopkins home address.
Community Impact and Official Responses
Hopkins, a Minneapolis suburb with a population of about 19,000, rarely experiences homicides of this nature. Chief Johnson described the responding officers as visibly shaken by the interior crime scene, stating that the grim details would remain with them for the rest of their careers.
Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon told reporters that residents share a tight-knit bond, emphasizing that there are no strangers in this community and that everyone was reeling from the tragedy. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reached out directly to offer municipal support, while neighbor Amanda Marx recounted the shock of seeing police tape descend upon the familiar brown house known locally for the moose and lake mural painted on its garage door.
Ongoing Investigation and Next Steps
Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims or established a clear motive for the killings. Police confirmed that there are no outstanding suspects and no ongoing threat to the public. State and local investigators continue to examine physical evidence across both the Hopkins daycare and the Burnsville residence to finalize the timeline.
