Police in the Minneapolis area shot dead a man in downtown Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon, sparking clashes between hundreds of protesters and police officers in an area already underway during the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin.
Family members at the scene of the shooting identified the victim as 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who is black. According to Brooklyn Center police, the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m., when an officer pulled over a vehicle due to an alleged traffic violation. Police said the driver re-entered the vehicle when officers tried to arrest him and one officer opened fire.
“The vehicle traveled several blocks before hitting another vehicle,” a statement said. A female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash, and a police officer was reportedly taken to hospital as well.
Daunte Wright’s mother, Katie Wright, told reporters on Sunday afternoon she was telephoning with her son when the meeting with police took place. According to her report, local TV news reports, her son called her while he was being pulled over to get car insurance for the vehicle, which she recently gave him.
She said she heard officers instruct her son to get out of the car and then “hoe” shortly before the phone rang.
“A minute later I called and his girlfriend answered, who was the passenger in the car, and said he was shot, and she put it on the driver’s side, and my son lay there lifeless,” she said.
On Sunday night, hundreds of protesters marched on Brooklyn City Police Department and were met by officers dressed in riots. tear gas discharged, instant pieces and other ammunition on the crowd. Confrontations continue at 11pm local time.
As groups of protesters gathered to march on the city’s police department, Mayor Mike Elliott said the shooting was “tragic” but called on protesters to be “peaceful” and that peaceful protesters not be treated violently”. As it approached midnight, Elliott said he would issue an evening watch order.
Brooklyn Center is a city northwest of Minneapolis with a population of approximately 30,000 residents. Tensions are high in and around Minneapolis as the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former officer who knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, is set to continue Monday in the third week.
Police said Brooklyn Center officials involved in the incident were wearing body cameras that were activated during the shooting. They also believe that dash cameras were activated during the incident.
‘I’m keeping a close eye on the situation in Brooklyn City Center. “Gwen and I are praying for Daunte Wright’s family as our state mourns another life of a black man taken by law enforcement,” Governor Tim Walz said in a statement. Posted Sunday night.
A woman living near the crash scene, Carolyn Hanson, said she saw law enforcement officers pull a man out of a vehicle and do CPR. A passenger who got out of the car was also covered in blood, Hanson said.
Minnesota Crime Office officials said the agency was at the scene Sunday afternoon of a shooting that involved a Brooklyn downtown police officer.
Associated Press contributed to this report