President Joe Biden on Monday called for “peace and quiet” following the “tragic” fatal police shooting at Daunte Wright in Minnesota.
“I did not call Daunte Wright’s family, but my prayers are with the family. It really is a tragic thing that happened,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office of Wright’s death on Sunday. “The question is, was it an accident? Was it intentional? It has yet to be determined by a full investigation,” he said, describing the footage of the recording as “fairly graphic”.
Wright, 20, was shot after being pulled over in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center for allegedly hanging an air freshener on his rear-view mirror, which is illegal in Minnesota, according to Wright’s mother, who spoke to her son. before the shooting. Police said Monday he was stopped for a traffic violation. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes, based on body image footage, that the officer who shot Wright mistakenly believes she was shooting a taser and not her gun.
The shooting took place about 14 miles north of the place where George Floyd was killed last year, as former police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of Floyd. Floyd’s death caused a spate of protests across the country last year, some of which led to riots and looting.
Biden called for protests against Wright’s shooting to remain ‘peaceful’, a plea from Wright’s mother.
“There is absolutely no justification, no, for looting, no justification for violence. Peaceful demonstrations, understandable, and the fact is, you know, we know, that the anger, pain and trauma that exist in the Black community “It’s real, it’s serious and it’s consequent. But that does not justify violence and / or looting,” he said.
“And we must listen to Daunte’s mother, who calls for peace and calm,” he said.
Asked if he would use federal resources to maintain peace if necessary, Biden noted that he had already done so because of the Chauvin trial.
“There are already federal resources,” Biden said. “There will be no lack of help and support from the federal government if local authorities believe it is necessary.”
Emma Thorne contributed.