At least 40 people have been arrested after protesters and police clashed a second night outside the Brooklyn Center, authorities said early Tuesday during a news conference.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the district as they challenged the curfew and demanded justice for Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man who was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop.
Authorities fired tear gas and grenades into the crowd. Protesters retaliated by throwing smoke bowls back into law enforcement, while others reportedly fired fireworks at police officers.
“Move back!” the police chanted. “Hands up! Do not shoot!” shouted the crowd back.
According to authorities, officers were ‘fairly substantially’ shielded with objects thrown from the crowd. A few officers were hit by debris and sustained minor injuries during the riot, police said.
QUICK FACTS
- The Minneapolis area also erupted in looting and riots late Sunday.
- Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting death Sunday of 20-year-old Daunte Wright as an accidental dismissal. ‘
Police had earlier erected a fence and concrete barriers around the building’s perimeter. The Star Tribune was surrounded by local police as well as Minnesota National Guard and Minnesota State Patrol officers.
Looters also broke into a Dollar Tree store near a breakfast shop near the police station.
Police shot dead Wright during a stop in a suburb of Minneapolis on Sunday. The body material showed three police officers gathering near a stationary car. Police tried to arrest Wright for an outstanding warrant, which led to a fight, followed by the fatal shooting.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said the officer who shot Wright dead was planning to shoot down a Taser, not the gun.
The officer was identified as Kimberly A. Potter, whose career at the Brooklyn Center Police Department spanned more than 25 years, the Star Tribune reported. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Monday night that Potter is on normal administrative leave.
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