Police in the suburb of Brooklyn Center in Minneapolis shot a black 20-year-old man during a traffic stop on Sunday afternoon, sparking a series of violent protests amid tensions over the Derek Chauvin murder trial.
The victim’s mother spent much of the Sunday afternoon at the scene of the deadly shooting, begging officers to remove the body of her son, Daunte Wright, from the sidewalk.
“He got out of the car, and his girlfriend said they shot him,” said Katie Wright, according to the Minneapolis Star TribuneHe got back in the car, drove off and crashed and now he’s been dead on the ground since 1:47 … No one will tell us anything. No one will talk to us … I said please get my son off the ground. “
The victim’s mother said her son called her during the traffic stop which she said was related to the presence of air fresheners hanging in the car, which is a violation in Minnesota. He called me at about half past one. He said he was stopped by the police. And I said why you were arrested. And he said they pulled him over because he had air fresheners on his rearview mirror. I said, ‘Okay, get them away,’ Wright said, adding that she could hear a scuffle breaking out and someone yelled, ‘Daunte, don’t run. When she called back, her son was dead.
Police say they discovered during a name check that Wright had an open warrant for arrest. When they tried to take him into custody, he returned to his car, where he was fatally shot. Police have not yet explained the motive for opening fire or if Wright was believed to be armed.
Protests then erupted despite Wright’s family pleading for calm. By nightfall, police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and flashy blows at about 500 protesters who had gathered near the Brooklyn Center Police Station and defaced the signage. They tried to enforce a 6am curfew, but largely failed Minneapolis Star TribuneMany of the protesters withdrew to nearby residential areas.
At around midnight, National Guard troops attempted to secure the area while looters stormed a nearby Walmart store. Local media reports that many nearby businesses, including a Foot Locker and a clothing store in New York, have been damaged by the ensuing violence.
Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington, along with State Patrol and Hennepin County officers, said early Monday that the watch would remain “robust” for the next “two or three days.”
Wright’s mother called for calm and told the crowd, “All the violence, if it continues, it’s all about the violence. We need to know why my son was shot for no reason. We have to make sure it’s about him and not about smashing police cars because that won’t bring my son back. “
By dawn, the protests had spread to south Minneapolis and were getting stronger before the first light. Minnesota government Tim Walz said he is “closely following events” and Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliot called on police not to use force against peaceful protesters.
‘He was so crazy. He just makes everyone happy, ”Wright’s sister told citizen journalist Unicorn Riot. ‘They took my brother from me. … I’m so hurt, they just took him. … I still can’t believe it. I still feel like going home to see him. It really hurts.”