National Guard Called in After Police Shooting Near Minneapolis
Minneapolis #Minneapolis
Hundreds of people protested Sunday night, and the National Guard was called in and a curfew enforced, after a police officer shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
The town is about 10 miles from Minneapolis, where the high-stakes trial of Derek Chauvin continues this week.
Details of the fatal encounter remained murky as of Monday morning. According to police accounts,officers stopped Wright on Sunday afternoon. They determined he had outstanding warrants — it is unclear on what charges. When they attempted to arrest him, he got back in his car and drove away. An officer then fired a shot, or shots, that struck Wright. After being struck, Wright drove for multiple blocks before hitting another vehicle; police then unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate him. The officers’ body cameras were reportedly activated, but no footage has yet been made public.
Wright’s mother, Katie, said that Daunte had called her while the traffic stop took place, claiming that police had pulled him over because he had air fresheners in his car. She said that Daunte’s girlfriend was also in the car when the incident took place. She was reportedly uninjured.
Katie Wright called for calm on Sunday afternoon, telling a crowd that had gathered near the site of the shooting, “We want justice for Daunte. We don’t want it to be about all this violence.”
Later, hundreds of protesters gathered at the town’s police station. Though the scene was largely peaceful, some threw water bottles and rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
National Guard troops and Minnesota State Patrol officers arrived sometime later. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that looting at a nearby shopping mall was widespread overnight, with several businesses “completely destroyed.”
A curfew was instituted until Monday morning. No injuries were reported.
The town’s mayor said on Twitter that “our entire community is filled with grief” over the shooting, while urging protesters to remain peaceful. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was “closely monitoring the situation” and “praying for Daunte Wright’s family.”