Minnesota Police Shooting Another George Floyd Murder?

A new Minnesota police shooting has left another Black man dead and is being compared to the police killings of Philando Castile and George Floyd.

Current Events
On Sunday, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis.  Hundreds of protesters have since taken to the streets to condemn the Minnesota police shooting of yet another Black man, just as the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin is taking place for the murder of George Floyd.

According to Chief Tim Gannon of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, Officer Kim Potter pulled Wright over on Sunday afternoon for a traffic violation and discovered that he had a warrant out for his arrest.  As Potter attempted to detain Wright, he stepped back into his car in what she considered was an attempt to flee.  Officer Potter said she thought she was reaching for her taser, but instead pulled her gun by accident.  That’s when she shot and killed him.

Wright’s car traveled for several blocks before striking another vehicle.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officer Kim Potter is a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center police force.  In fact, she was in law enforcement for 6 years before Daunte Wright was even born.  She has had nearly 3 decades to know that her police-issued taser and gun are kept on opposite sides of the body.  With that said, how does a 26-year veteran police officer “accidentally” not know the difference between a handgun and a taser?

Additionally, what was the warrant against Daunte Wright that prompted Officer Potter to use deadly force against him?  The warrant was for 2 petty misdemeanors — one of which was from when he was a minor.

Katie Wright told reporters that her son was driving a car his family had just given him only 2 weeks prior and that he had called her as he was being pulled over.

“He said they pulled him over because he had air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror,” the mother said. She added that her son’s girlfriend was with him in the vehicle when he was shot and sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.
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“It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet.” – Chief Tim Gannon

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In a video statement, Mayor Elliott said his “heart goes out” to Mr. Wright’s family. “We are going to make sure that everything is done in our power to ensure that justice is done,” he added.

Gov. Tim Walz wrote on Twitter that he was praying for Mr. Wright’s family “as our state mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement.”

John Harrington, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said rioters protesting the Minnesota police shooting took over a mall in Brooklyn Center and ransacked about 20 businesses there. National Guard troops and Minnesota State Patrol officers were dispatched to restore order.

On Tuesday, Officer Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, recognizing that the death of this young Black man is a hot button issue that is only about to get hotter.

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So, was Officer Kim Potter correct in detaining Daunte Wright over a petty misdemeanor from when he was a minor?  Is it possible that despite her 26-years of experience she legitimately mistook her handgun for a taser?  Was Daunte Wright at fault for what appeared to be an attempt to flee?  Or, is this shooting death of yet another Black man at the hands of police another case of “Driving While Black,” a repeat of the George Floyd killing from a year ago, and a wake-up call to an ongoing race problem within America’s police departments?

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Minnesota police shooting of another Black man.