BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) – A black man died after being gunned down by police in a Minneapolis suburb during a traffic stop and his car crashed a few blocks away, sparking violent protests that lasted until the early hours on Monday when officers in riot gear collided with protesters and the man’s mother called for peace.
The man was identified by the family as 20-year-old Daunte Wright, and he died Sunday in a metropolitan area already on edge and halfway through the trial of the first of four police officers charged with George Floyd’s death.Minnesota Governor Tim Walz tweeted that he was praying for Wright’s family “while our state mourns another life of a black man taken by police.”
During the Brooklyn Center showdown between protesters and law enforcement officials, Daunte’s mother, Katie Wright, tried to contain any unrest.
‘All the violence, if it continues, it’s just about the violence. We need to know why my son was shot for no reason, ”she told a crowd near the shooting scene. “We have to make sure it’s about him and not about smashing police cars because that won’t bring my son back.”
Police did not immediately identify Wright, but protesters gathered at the scene waved flags and signs that read “ Black Lives Matter. ” Others walked peacefully with their hands up. In one street, written in multi-colored chalk, “Justice for Daunte Wright.”
Brooklyn Center police said in a statement that officers had arrested a motorist shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. After the police determined that the driver had an outstanding warrant, the police tried to arrest the driver. The driver got back into the vehicle and an officer shot the vehicle and hit the driver, police said. The vehicle went several blocks before hitting another vehicle.
Wright’s family’s account of the shooting varied, with Katie Wright saying he was shot before getting back into the car.
Police said the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the person’s name after a preliminary autopsy and a notification from the family. A female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. Brooklyn Center is a city of about 30,000 residents located on Minneapolis’s northwestern border.
Katie Wright said that passenger was her son’s girlfriend. Wright said her son called her when he was arrested.
“He only had air fresheners in the car and they told him to get out of the car,” Wright said. During the interview, she said she heard shuffling and someone said, “Daunte, don’t run” before ending the call. When she called back, her son’s friend answered and said he was shot.
Protesters gathered shortly after the shooting and crash, with some jumping on top of police cars and confronting officers. Marchers also descended on the Brooklyn Center Police Department building, where stones and other objects were thrown at officers, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said at a news conference. The protesters were largely dispersed at 1:15 a.m. Monday, he said.
The Shingle Creek mall in town had about 20 businesses broken into, Harrington said. Law enforcement agencies were coordinating to tame the unrest, he said, and the National Guard was activated.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott announced a city curfew that expired at 6 a.m. Monday. In a tweet he said, ‘We want to make sure everyone is safe. Please be safe and please go home. “
Police said Brooklyn Center officers are wearing body-worn cameras and they also believe dash cameras were activated during the incident. The department said it has asked the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to open an investigation.
The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged with Floyd’s death, would continue Monday. Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck. Prosecutors say Floyd was jailed for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Harrington said more members of the National Guard and state law enforcement personnel would be deployed around the Twin Cities and in the Brooklyn Center, in addition to personnel already in attendance for Chauvin’s trial.
Meanwhile, all Brooklyn Center students will be instructed online Monday as school buildings will be closed, Brooklyn Center Community Schools Superintendent Carly Baker said in a statement.
“We are focused on taking steps in the moment. I have not fully come to terms with the tragedy that has unfolded in our community and I prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our students, families, staff and community members, ”said Baker. “We know our community has experienced trauma and we need the time and space to process this.”