Shooting of Daunte Wright

Overview

The Shooting of Daunte Wright occurred on April 11th, 2021, when the 20-year-old was shot by police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. During a traffic stop outside Minneapolis, police attempted to arrest Wright outside his car upon discovering an outstanding warrant. Wright briefly appears to be cooperating with the police when he suddenly gets himself free and attempts to enter the driver seat of his car. In the scuffle, a police officer positions herself near the door and allegedly attempts to taser him but draws her firearm instead, shooting him in the torso and killing him. The shooting sparked a wave of protests in Minnesota.

Background

On April 11th, 2021, three suburban Minneapolis police officers in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota stopped 20-year-old Daunte Wright and recorded the encounter with their body cameras. During the traffic stop, police discovered an outstanding warrant for Wright and attempted to arrest him. As seen in the bodycam footage, which was released on April 12th, Wright attempts to resist arrest and re-enter his vehicle via the driver’s side door when a scuffle begins between him and two of the officers. At one point, an officer moves to the side of Wright and the other officer, drawing her sidearm, as she yells, “I’ll tase you!” and then “Taser, Taser, Taser!” before firing a single shot into Wright, which later killed him (shown below).^[1]

As Wright begins to drive away upon being shot, later crashing into a parked car, the officer, who was later identified as Kim Potter, who fired her weapon can be heard saying, “Holy shit, I shot him,” allegedly confusing her pistol with the taser.^[2]

Developments

Protests

On Sunday, April 11th following the shooting, hundreds of people began protesting that night, primarily around the Brooklyn Park police headquarters, due to news of Wright’s death. According to authorities, some protesters hurled rocks and other objects at the police building, others attempted to damage police vehicles and reports of shots fired were also documented.

Police eventually dispersed the crowd, with a second gathering near the Shingle Creek Mall, which was later broken into and looted. Early Monday morning, the state then deployed the Minnesota National Guard and Brooklyn Center’s mayor put a curfew into effect through the morning, citing that authorities would keep a strong presence in the area for the next few days.

Police Chief Response

In response to the shooting, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said it appeared to be an “accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright,” offering the family his deepest sympathies and vowing to remain transparent during the investigation.^[3]

Officer Charged and Booked Into Jail

Following the shooting, Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter resigned on April 13th, 2021, and was charged the following day for second-degree manslaughter in the shooting of Daunte Wright.^[4] According to online jail records, Potter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail after being arrested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

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