Story at a glance
- Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by police in Brooklyn Center, Minn.
- Large crowds of protesters gathered Sunday evening, prompting law enforcement to deploy tear gas and other tactics.
- Personnel from the Minnesota National Guard will be stationed at Brooklyn Center as well as in Minneapolis.
With tensions already running high amid the Derek Chauvin murder trial, Minneapolis police are now contending with another fatal police shooting involving the death of a young Black man.
The shooting occurred on Sunday afternoon at Brooklyn Center in Minneapolis, when police pulled over driver Daunte Wright, 20, just before 2 p.m., according to a press release issued by the Brooklyn Center Police Department.
Following the stop near the 6300 block of Orchard Avenue, police discovered Wright had an outstanding warrant, prompting them to attempt to arrest him.
Wright allegedly then re-entered his car. The attending officers then shot him. After being shot, Wright drove several blocks and collided into another vehicle before coming to a halt.
An ambulance was called to tend to Wright. He died at the scene.
Officers had initially pulled Wright over for a traffic violation, although, according to his mother, Katie Wright, who was on the phone with him, he said he was pulled over for having air fresheners in the car, violating a local law against having anything hanging from the rearview mirror.
Wright’s girlfriend was in the passenger side at the time. She sustained some injuries following the crash but is reportedly stable.
Protesters quickly gathered to the scene, eventually forming large crowds. Footage shows police using tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets as more protesters organized.
Police have pushed large swath of crowd back across the street, into residential area with tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets. This came moments after a few people threw things at police line and organizers yelled at them to stop. pic.twitter.com/w0bK4Or9iN
— Liz Sawyer (@ByLizSawyer) April 12, 2021
Law enforcement officials issued a press conference on April 11 to confirm an investigation is underway.
John Harrington, the commissioner at the Department of Public Safety, said that body cameras on the attending officers were reportedly activated, and a forensic evaluation of the scene has been completed.
He added that on Sunday, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators arrived at the scene, which is standard protocol when an officer discharges their weapon.
Officials noted about 100 people who were “highly agitated” were already at the scene.
Other law enforcement oversight agents, including the Minneapolis Police Department and Minnesota National Guard, were activated to help control burgeoning crowds and potential damage.
“At this time, we have essentially a full activation,” Harrington said, noting the “robust assortment of national guard, state, and local police department” officers working to maintain safety during the Derek Chauvin trial and now the Daunte Wright shooting.
This coordination was originally part of Operation Safety Net, the effort from law enforcement to contain civil unrest and potentially violent demonstrations during the ongoing Chauvin hearing.
The Minnesota National Guard issued more than 500 personnel as of April 12 as closing arguments for the Chauvin trial are approaching. Some of these officers will be sent to Brooklyn Center.
Harrington confirmed reports of shootings and vandalized businesses in the wake of Wright’s death.
During the same conference, Chief Deputy Tracy Martin said that the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is working alongside Brooklyn Center officers to help contain any civil unrest, but their primary focus remains on crowd control during the Chauvin trial.
The shooting has caught the attention of state Gov. Tim Walz (D) who wrote on Twitter that he is “closely monitoring” the situation.
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