NOTE: The language in this post is of a racial nature and be uncomfortable for some audiences. 4.12.21
Another black man killed in Minnesota the trial of George Floyd stops pulling over the police. The killing of black men should not be so cavalier, when you have white men who kill cops and mass shooting. It is not happening to white men that are shooting at police. His mother said they pulled him over because he had an air freshener hanging from the mirror they looking for a reason to pull over young black men period. This is a chronic disease from police acting like the slave patrol, which is systematic in the core of police work. Black men in jail are money. They are cattle in jail and they are slaves working for pennies for hours. We need police reform but it is clear that we need to see black people as humans, not thugs, animals, and as a prisoner first. It is going to an uphill battle to get a conviction in the George Floyd trial. It is in the DNA of our country’s racism period. We need to show pictures of the black man that they kill as fathers, brothers, and sons. White women steal a police car and lives, no shots fired her life matters and they hold her down with care. Another child without a father in the black community.
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Warning: Some elements of the press conference and body camera footage may be graphic. If you or someone you know has been affected by the content of recent broadcasts and are looking for mental health resources, contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI provides guidance to those who are trying to navigate the mental health system. Please know you are not alone.
Brooklyn Center’s police chief said Monday that he believes the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Black man during a traffic stop was the result of an officer accidentally discharging their weapon.
Chief Tim Gannon released body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright near the 6300 block of Orchard Avenue Sunday. Gannon said he believes the officer who shot Wright meant to fire a Taser.
Gannon also confirmed that the officer is on administrative leave.
Officers conducted a traffic stop before 2 p.m. Sunday in an attempt to take Wright into custody for an outstanding warrant, police said. During the stop, Wright got back into his car, and one of the officers fired their gun and struck the victim, according to law enforcement.
According to a press release from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the vehicle then traveled “several blocks” before colliding with another vehicle. A female passenger in the car was transported to North Memorial Hospital with injuries related to the crash, according to the release. No injuries were reported by anyone inside the vehicle that was struck.
Wright’s family first identified him as the driver who died at the scene.
Earlier Sunday, Wright’s mother Katie told KARE 11 that her son called her while he was being pulled over to get insurance information for the vehicle, a car she recently gave to him.
“A minute later, I called and his girlfriend answered, which was the passenger in the car, and said that he’d been shot and she put it on the driver’s side, and he was laying there lifeless,” said Katie.
A curfew issued for Brooklyn Center by Mayor Mike Elliott was lifted at 6 a.m. Monday.
Elliott said he’s spoken to White House officials, Gov. Tim Walz and Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington about the situation. He thanked President Joe Biden for offering his administration’s support in a Twitter statement.
Elliot also met with community members at Brooklyn Center City Hall Monday morning before a press conference with police.
Following the shooting Sunday, Elliott released a statement, saying he supports “the peaceful gathering of our community, who are gathering to hold space amid our calls for transparency and accountability.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted on social media Sunday night that he’s monitoring the situation and praying for Wright’s family after another Black man’s life was “taken by law enforcement.”
Following the shooting, a large group of community members gathered near the scene as officials continued their investigation. Just after 9:30 p.m., hundreds of demonstrators began blocking Humboldt Avenue just south of the Brooklyn Center Police Headquarters.
Crews on scene reported that multiple rounds of tear gas were fired by law enforcement in an effort to disperse the crowd.
Protests following the shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center
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Operation Safety Net, an organization formed to help with any potential unrest throughout the Derek Chauvin trial, held a briefing for the media early Monday morning. During the briefing, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington addressed the civil unrest that stemmed from the shooting from Brooklyn Center.
According to Harrington, numerous law enforcement agencies were called to assist as hundreds gathered outside of the Brooklyn Center Police Headquarters and Minnesota State Patrol Colonel Matt Langer said that there will be an additional law enforcement presence, including the National Guard, in the area on Monday to continue to assist with any civil unrest.
According to officials, the unrest spilled over into Brooklyn Park, where police say a shot was fired at the front door of the Brooklyn Park police station. No one was injured, but police say the glass door was shattered. There have also been reports of “numerous businesses being looted,” according to a release from Brooklyn Center police.
Looting also spread to the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. KARE 11 photojournalist David Peterlinz also said a cell phone store on East Lake Street was smashed.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is currently investigating the shooting.
According to Brooklyn Center police, department officers wear body-worn cameras and it’s believed that both body cameras and dash cameras were activated at the time. Community members are calling for the release of the bodycam footage.
The Sunday night shooting occurred as the trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin plays out less than 10 miles away. On Monday, Chauvin’s defense attorney asked the judge to further question and sequester the jury due to his concern that the Brooklyn Center shooting and the unrest that followed will affect their ability to deliver an impartial verdict. The judge denied both motions.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also released a statement on the Brooklyn Center shooting Monday, calling it a “continuation of the unrelenting trauma felt by our Black community.”
“Minneapolis stands firmly with the people of Brooklyn Center in seeking justice for Daunte Wright and peace in our cities,” he said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki also addressed the shooting in a briefing Monday.
“We are incredibly saddened about the loss of life at the hands of law enforcement in Minnesota yesterday,” Psaki said, adding that Biden plans to speak on the matter later in the afternoon.
“It is a reminder of the pain, the anger, the trauma, the exhaustion that many communities across the country have felt as we see these incidents continue to occur within just a few miles of where the tragic events happened just a year ago,” she said, referencing the death of George Floyd.
