{"id":29736,"date":"2021-04-23T12:25:14","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T17:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/acronym\/?p=29736"},"modified":"2021-04-23T12:25:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T17:25:14","slug":"daunte-wright-killed-by-police-in-minnesota-nearly-a-year-after-george-floyd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/acronym\/2021\/04\/23\/daunte-wright-killed-by-police-in-minnesota-nearly-a-year-after-george-floyd\/","title":{"rendered":"Daunte Wright Killed by Police in Minnesota Nearly a Year After George Floyd"},"content":{"rendered":"

On April 11th, Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter. The shooting\u2014which took place about 10 miles<\/a> from where Derek Chauvin, one of four police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd, was on trial\u2014occurred after police stopped Wright, who was on his way to his older brother\u2019s house<\/a>. Officers cited expired registration tags as their reason for pulling Wright over. Having discovered that he had an outstanding arrest warrant, officers then attempted to detain Wright. Wright stepped back into his car, which, according to Brooklyn Center Police Department Chief Tim Gannon<\/a>, prompted a struggle with officers.<\/p>\n

Body camera footage shows Potter aiming a handgun at Wright and yelling, \u201ctaser!<\/a>\u201d Potter is then recorded shouting \u201cHoly sh*t! I just shot him!\u201d as Wright pulls away in his car.<\/p>\n

After driving multiple blocks, the car hit another car. Police and medical workers arrived on the scene and pronounced Wright dead.<\/p>\n

When he was first pulled over, Wright called his mother, Katie Wright. \u201cHe said they pulled him over because he had air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror,\u201d Ms. Wright recounted. She said that Wright put the phone down, at which point she heard \u201cscuffling\u201d and an officer\u2019s warning telling Wright not to run.<\/p>\n

Upon calling back, Wright\u2019s girlfriend told Ms. Wright that her son had been shot.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Charges against Kim Potter <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a bullet,\u201d said Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon.<\/p>\n

Currently, Kim Potter faces a charge of second-degree manslaughter. Prosecutors aim to show that she is \u201cculpably negligent<\/a>\u201d and took an \u201cunreasonable risk\u201d in shooting Daunte Wright. The maximum penalty Potter would face under this charge is 10 years in prison and a fine of $20,000. Potter is currently out of jail on a $100,000 bond, under the order not to use firearms or explosives throughout the remainder of her case. Potter\u2019s next court date is May 17th.<\/p>\n

Both Chief Gannon and Potter have resigned from their positions at the Brooklyn Center Police Department.<\/p>\n

Prior to Potter\u2019s initial court hearing, Wright\u2019s family and their lawyers gathered at the Minneapolis church where Mr. Wright\u2019s funeral was held Thursday. There, they remembered the man they lost and pressed for \u201can aggressive prosecution of Potter.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last few days, everybody has asked me, what do we want to see happen?\u201d said Ms. Wright. \u201cI do want accountability, 100% accountability\u2026 But even when that happens, we\u2019re still going to bury our son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Wright, her family, and many protesters have rejected Chief Gannon\u2019s claim that the shooting of Wright was an accident. \u201cJustice, what is justice?\u201d said Wright\u2019s aunt, Naisha Wright. \u201cDo we get to see Daunte smile? We don\u2019t get to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Protests<\/b><\/p>\n

Since the shooting of Daunte Wright, hundreds of demonstrators have protested on the streets of Brooklyn Center. Ms. Wright has asked that they remain peaceful<\/a>. \u201cWe want justice for Daunte,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want it to be about all this violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The night of Wright\u2019s death, Brooklyn Center demonstrators threw cans and bricks, to which the police responded with tear gas. Many demonstrators were arrested. Protests have continued since, becoming calmer<\/a> Monday and Tuesday, though curfews have been imposed in the Minneapolis region. Friday, a peaceful march began in Brooklyn Center, growing to nearly 500 people by evening. Some protesters pushed against a fence<\/a> surrounding the police station while throwing bottles at officers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not respond at that time,\u201d John Harrington, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, told reporters. \u201cWe continued to allow them to have their protest in front of the fence line for about an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later that night, people wearing helmets, respirators, and gas masks joined the protest, with others taking up baseball bats. Authorities began to make arrests<\/a> after issuing three dispersal orders.<\/p>\n

This comes as demonstrators around the country also protest the killing of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old boy from Chicago, following the release of the body camera footage of his shooting.<\/p>\n

In Chicago, protests have seen signs with messages such as, \u201cStop killing kids.\u201d A march was held in Oakland, California, for Wright and Toledo. A group of protesters eventually turned violent, but Oakland has said it will continue to call for peaceful protests<\/a>. Portland has also seen protests, with one protester, a white man in his 30s, being shot and killed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Connection to George Floyd<\/b><\/p>\n

Beyond the immediate connection in terms of location between Daunte Wright and George Floyd is another connection between the two victims: Floyd\u2019s girlfriend, Courtney Ross, worked with Wright while he was a high school student. Ross was a teacher\u2019s assistant and counselor at Wright\u2019s school.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I\u2019m] crushed,\u201d Ross said<\/a> during a protest Tuesday. \u201cIt\u2019s enough that Floyd is gone, but for one of my youths to be gone as well. He was just a wonderful, beautiful boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Remembering Daunte Wright<\/b><\/p>\n

Following Daunte Wright\u2019s death, his family has asked people to also remember his life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wright had a son, Daunte Jr., who is almost two years old. As a high school freshman, Wright was voted class clown. \u201cHe had sisters and brothers that he loved so much,\u201d said Katie Wright.<\/p>\n

Wright\u2019s aunt Naisha Wright called him a \u201clovable young man,\u201d saying, \u201cHis smile\u2014oh, Lord\u2014the most beautiful smile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonathan Mason, who was a youth development specialist and mentor at one of the high schools Wright attended, said, \u201cHe was a charismatic kid. He would joke with you, and he was so witty. He was one of those kids that everybody looked up to.\u201d Mason recalled that during mentoring sessions, Wright would talk about his future aspirations: \u201cHe said, \u2018I want to be an NBA player, I want to be a fashion designer, I want to be a business owner.\u2019 I said, \u2018If you grow up, you can be whatever you want to be.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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