Blaine man charged in fatal collision

A Blaine man was charged with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide, including driving while intoxicated, in a Brooklyn Park crash which killed a Nowthen woman, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.

Richard Shaka, 72, was charged with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide, involving grossly negligent driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol greater than .08. A blood test at the hospital revealed his blood-alcohol content was .16. No first court appearance has been set because Shaka remains in the hospital.

According to the criminal complaint, about 8 p.m. on Feb. 17, Shaka was driving his Toyota Sequoia north in the southbound lane of Minnesota 252. He smashed head on into a Hyundai Elantra appropriately driving south near Brookdale Boulevard.

That car was driven by 30-year-old Jenna Bixby, a 911 emergency dispatcher at the Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center. Bixby was dead at the scene.

Shaka Criminal Complaint (PDF)