CNN
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It was Saturday afternoon when Stephanie and Carlos Flores heard a notification sound on their phones that changed their lives forever.

The notification came from the Life360 location-sharing app they used with their daughter, 18-year-old Olivia Flores, letting them know they had detected an accident.

“We were screaming, like, ‘Olivia, pick up the phone, pick up the phone,'” Carlos Flores, Olivia’s father, told CNN affiliate KTTC.

Shortly afterward, the family received a call saying Olivia had been in an accident. They rushed to the hospital to be by her side. There, the news only worsened, prompting the heartbreaking decision to take their only daughter off life support, they told KTTC.

The family’s shock quickly turned to anger when they learned that a Minnesota state trooper with a history of driving violations, including four accidents while on duty, was allegedly responsible for the crash that killed Olivia just weeks before she was set to take the stage at her high school graduation.

Shane Roper, 32, faces multiple criminal charges, including second-degree murder and vehicular homicide, according to a criminal complaint filed in July. Roper also faces three criminal charges of driving resulting in serious bodily injury and multiple misdemeanor offenses, according to the complaint.

According to Minnesota court documents, Roper on Thursday pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges related to the May 18 crash that killed Olivia and injured others.

Roper was in Rochester near the Apache Mall driving at 83 mph, more than twice the speed limit, when a Ford Focus carrying three people, including Olivia, began to drive through the intersection. Unable to brake or swerve in time, Roper hit the Ford Focus, and both cars hit a third car, a Toyota RAV4 carrying two people, the complaint said. Roper’s patrol car hit the Ford Focus while traveling at least 55 mph, according to the complaint.

“The driver of the Ford Focus described the speed of the oncoming vehicle as
“rocket,” the criminal complaint says. “Other witnesses described the speed of the oncoming vehicle as ‘flying,’ ‘in the blink of an eye,’ and ‘dragging ass.’

Roper said he was “trying to ‘close the gap’” between his car and another vehicle “that he suspected of violating traffic laws,” according to the complaint, citing Roper’s statement to law enforcement. “He said he wasn’t paying attention to speed” and thought his hazard lights were on. He also said he was “trying to ‘clear’ the intersection” before driving through it, the complaint said.

Neither the driver of the Ford Focus nor any witnesses said they saw or heard emergency lights or sirens, according to the complaint. Olivia, who was a backseat passenger, died of blunt force trauma, according to the complaint. The driver of the Ford Focus suffered a lacerated liver and a contusion of the kidney, while the other passenger in the vehicle suffered a fractured pelvis and a lacerated kidney. The occupants of the Toyota RAV4 “experienced physical pain,” the complaint said. Roper also had a passenger in his patrol car — riding with him — who suffered rib contusions and multiple fractures in the crash.

Earlier in the day of the crash, Roper was speeding several times, including once when he drove at a speed of 135 mph in a 55 mph zone while responding to a call, failing to turn on his lights or sirens and telling his passenger that he was used to driving like that, according to the complaint.

“Roper’s driving conduct on May 18, including his high speed, failure to verify that the intersection was safe to proceed through, and failure to use his lights or siren to alert other drivers on the roadway to his presence, was grossly negligent and reckless,” the complaint said. “This conduct showed a disregard for the safety and lives of others on or near the roadway. Roper’s driving conduct ultimately led to the collision and, as a result, the deaths and injuries to the victims.”

CNN reached out to Roper’s attorney on Thursday but did not receive a response. Roper and his attorney have requested a jury trial, which is scheduled for March 31, 2025.

According to Minnesota State Patrol Chief Col. Christina Bogojevic, Roper is still on paid leave in accordance with his service contract.

“Our thoughts and sincere condolences remain with Olivia’s family, friends and loved ones,” Bogojevic told CNN. “The alleged conduct of Officer Shane Roper described in the criminal complaint is not consistent with the core values ​​of the State Patrol. Out of respect for the judicial process, we cannot comment further.”

Olivia, captain of the Owatonna High School cheerleading squad, was a beloved daughter, sister and teammate whose loss was felt widely throughout the community.

“She should have been able to walk across the stage,” Carlos Flores told KTTC, wearing a handmade bracelet with small beads that read “LLO,” which stands for “Long live Olivia.” “Because of you (Roper), we planned a funeral instead of a graduation party.”

“Because of your choice, I won’t be able to dance with my daughter at her wedding.”

The Owatonna Huskies cheerleaders hosted a series of events, including a dinner and silent auction, to honor their teammate and raise funds for the Flores family.

“It is with a broken heart that we must say goodbye to our Olivia,” Owatonna Huskies Cheerleading wrote in a Facebook post. “She was an amazing cheerleader, friend and person. She touched so many lives and our lives will forever be changed as she brightened them.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to support the Flores family as they cope with their loss.

After reviewing his disciplinary record as a Minnesota State Patrol trooper, officers discovered he had been involved in four prior traffic accidents while driving a patrol car “due to inattention or excessive speed,” according to the indictment.

“Roper consistently achieved and maintained high speeds by failing to activate his hazard warning lights or by turning them off while traveling at high speeds,” the complaint states.

Roper was “penalized for a rules violation” and suspended after two of those incidents, Bogojevic confirmed to CNN.

According to the complaint, during his eight years as a police officer, Roper completed approximately 13 driving training courses beginning in 2016 and gained knowledge on risk management, braking systems, braking limitations, emergency and non-emergency driving and the responsibilities associated with emergency and non-emergency driving.

“I can’t believe that someone thought that this person who had four previous problems would be able to handle it in a car,” Stephanie Flores, Olivia’s mother, told KTTC.

“How can someone with such a long history of the same issues be able to drive a car and be on the road and be someone who is supposed to protect and serve. But you don’t. You’ve taken all your training and reversed it.”

Olivia’s family is demanding an open investigation into the “organizational shortcomings that led to” Olivia’s death, family attorney Daniel McIntosh said in a July press release obtained by CNN affiliate WCCO.

“It is heartbreaking and unacceptable to the Flores family that the State of Minnesota allowed Officer Roper to travel in a Minnesota patrol car despite knowing he posed a clear danger to others,” the press release reads.

CNN reached out to the family’s attorney but did not receive a response.

“The Flores family is calling on Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson, Minnesota State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic, and Governor Tim Walz to open an open and independent investigation into the organizational failures that led to Trooper Roper taking the life of Olivia Flores and seriously injuring the other victims in this incident to prevent such a senseless and preventable tragedy from occurring again,” the release reads.

Walz told KTTC in July that the family “can rest assured there will be a full investigation into this tragic accident.”

“It’s hard to even find the words for this,” Walz said. “There’s nothing we can say that will ease the pain, but we need to make sure that if there are things that could have been done differently, should have been done differently, or weren’t done correctly, we need to know about it.”