Beloved car enthusiast found by parents shot and stabbed in garage, Minnesota cops say
A car enthusiast known as a pillar of the Minnesota auto community was found dead in a “violent assault,” authorities say.
The Carver County Sheriff’s Office said the 33-year-old man, identified by loved ones as Erik Berger, was discovered by his parents Friday, April 12, “lying on the floor” of an auto garage in Chanhassen. His parents began CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene when first responders arrived.
Berger had been shot and stabbed, SW News Media reported, citing a report from the sheriff’s office.
The man accused of assaulting Berger, a fellow car collector, was later discovered dead after killing himself at his home in Minneapolis, according to the Star Tribune. Berger and the accused attacker knew one another, the sheriff’s office said, but a motive for the killing is unclear.
The garage where Berger had been stabbed and shot is Chanhassen AutoPlex, according to Bring Me The News. More than 100 owners store and showcase their vehicles at the autoplex, which it calls a “local man cave” for car enthusiasts to work on their vehicles.
Berger was described by friend Alec Rosin as “a true OG in the car community.”
“He was around from the beginning and was one of those car guys that all the other car guys could admire,” Rosin said in a Facebook post. “He was competent, witty, and in his prime. He had many people who loved him dearly and he had a great future ahead of him.”
Another one of Berger’s friends, T.J. Beadle, called him a “pillar in the community” for car enthusiasts. Beadle told the Star-Tribune that Berger, a collector of vintage BMWs, would rarely miss a car event
Scott Berger said in a Facebook post mourning his brother’s death “will be long and painful.”
“Erik lived more life, a richer life, and accomplished more in 33 short years than many of us could hope to do in 103 years,” Scott Berger said.
Chanhassen is about a 20-mile drive southwest of Minneapolis.
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