Everything You Need to Know About the Police Killing of Daunte Wright

In Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, just 10 miles from the courtroom where former police officer Derek Chauvin is currently on trial for his involvement in the death of George Floyd, residents have once again taken to the streets to protest the killing of another young Black man by police. The victim has been identified as Daunte Wright, 20, whose mother has urged peaceful demonstrations, telling reporters, “We want justice for Daunte. We don’t want it to be about all this violence.” Still, tensions have inevitably run high. 

Below, find all the information on Wright’s killing and what has taken place in Brooklyn Center since.

Who was Daunte Wright?

Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was driving with his girlfriend in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday, April 11, when an officer pulled him over for an alleged traffic violation and discovered he had a warrant out for his arrest. Wright’s mother told reporters that her son called her as he was being pulled over, telling her that it was because “he had air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.”

What happened when Minneapolis police pulled Wright over?

Chief Tim Gannon of the Brooklyn Center Police Department in Minnesota said that an officer who has yet to be named shot Wright when he stepped back into his car as police were trying to detain him. Wright’s car then traveled for several blocks and struck another vehicle, after which the police and medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene. The woman in the car with him, believed to be Wright’s girlfriend, was also hurt in the crash, but her injuries were not life-threatening, according to police.

What’s been happening in Brooklyn Center since Wright’s death?

Protestors filled the streets after Wright’s death on Sunday, with skirmishes between protestors and police continuing until early Monday morning. Police reportedly deployed rubber bullets and chemical agents at protestors, and National Guard troops and Minnesota State Patrol officers arrived to back them up by around midnight. Mayor Mike Elliott ordered a curfew until 6 a.m, and the local school superintendent declared a move to remote learning on Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”

Will there be consequences for the police officer who shot Wright?

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has launched an investigation into the shooting. “While we await additional information from the BCA who is leading the investigation,” Elliott said in a statement, “we continue to ask that members of our community gathering do so peacefully, amid our calls for transparency and accountability.”