UPDATE ============ Daunte Wright death in Minnesota traffic stop sparks unrest
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 3 years ago • 85 commentsBy: Olivia Williams (SFGATE)
UPDATE
Astounding new information has emerged in this case.
Wright was apparently shot by accident.
He was not shot while driving away, but before he drove away. The car door was open as Wright broke free from the cops and got back in his car. A female police officer reached for her taser and shouted "taser taser" to let her fellow cops know she was using her taser.
Instead of her taser though, she had drawn her gun and she mistakenly shot him with a bullet.
The car then drives off.
This video was just shown by the police chief.
By the way the female officer seems to be distraught by having shot him.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A Black man died after being shot by police in a Minneapolis suburb during a traffic stop and crashing his car several blocks away, sparking violent protests that lasted into the early hours Monday as officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators and the man's mother called for calm.
The man was identified by family as 20-year-old Daunte Wright, and he died Sunday in a metropolitan area already on edge and midway through the trial of the first of four police officers charged in George Floyd's death. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tweeted he was praying for Wright's family "as our state mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement."
Speaking before the confrontation in Brooklyn Center between protesters and law enforcement, Daunte's mother, Katie Wright, attempted to curb any unrest.
"All the violence, if it keeps going it's only going to be about the violence. We need it to be about why my son got shot for no reason," she said to a crowd near the shooting scene. "We need to make sure it's about him and not about smashing police cars, because that's not going to bring my son back."
Police didn't immediately identify Wright, but protesters who gathered near the scene waved flags and signs reading "Black Lives Matter." Others walked peacefully with their hands held up. On one street, written in multi-colored chalk: "Justice for Daunte Wright."
Brooklyn Center police said in a statement that officers had stopped a motorist shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. After determining the driver had an outstanding warrant, police tried to arrest the driver. The driver reentered the vehicle and an officer fired at the vehicle, striking the driver, police said. The vehicle traveled several blocks before striking another vehicle.
The account of the shooting from Wright's family differed, with Katie Wright saying he was shot before getting back into the car.
Court records show Wright was being sought for fleeing from law enforcement officers and for possessing a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June. In that case, a statement of probable cause said police got a call about a man waving a gun who was later identified as Wright.
Police said the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office will release the name of the person who died Sunday following a preliminary autopsy and family notification. A female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash. Brooklyn Center is a city of about 30,000 people located on the northwest border of Minneapolis.
Katie Wright said that passenger was her son's girlfriend. Wright said her son called her as he was getting pulled over.
"All he did was have air fresheners in the car and they told him to get out of the car," Wright said. During the call, she said she heard scuffling and then someone saying "Daunte, don't run" before the call ended. When she called back, her son's girlfriend answered and said he'd had been shot.
Demonstrators gathered shortly after the shooting and crash, with some jumping on top of police cars and confronting officers. Marchers also descended upon the Brooklyn Center police department building, where rocks and other objects were thrown at officers, Minnesota Department of Public Safety commissioner John Harrington said at a news conference. The protesters had largely dispersed by 1:15 a.m. Monday, he said.
About 20 businesses had been broken into at the city's Shingle Creek shopping center, Harrington said. Law enforcement agencies were coordinating to tame the unrest, he said, and the National Guard was activated.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott announced a curfew in the city that expired at 6 a.m. Monday. In a tweet he said, "We want to make sure everyone is safe. Please be safe and please go home."
Police said Brooklyn Center officers wear body-worn cameras and they also believe dash cameras were activated during the incident. The department said it has asked the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate.
The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd's death, was slated to continue Monday. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck. Prosecutors say Floyd was pinned for 9 minutes, 29 seconds.
Harrington said more National Guard members and state law enforcement personnel would be deployed around the Twin Cities and in Brooklyn Center in addition to personnel already in place for Chauvin's trial at the Hennepin County courthouse in Minneapolis.
There was no visible increase in the already high security presence on Monday morning outside the courthouse, which was fortified ahead of Chauvin's trial with tall fencing topped with barbed wire, coils of razor wire between the fences and concrete barriers. National Guard troops with military vehicles, sheriff's deputies and county security guards continued to stand watch.
Meanwhile, all Brooklyn Center students will be instructed online Monday because school buildings will be closed, Brooklyn Center Community Schools Superintendent Carly Baker said in a statement.
"We are focused on taking steps in the moment. I haven't entirely processed the tragedy that took place in our community and I'm prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of our students, families, staff members and community members," Baker said. "We know our community experienced trauma and we need the time and space to process."
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Was Daunte Wright a violent threat to the community as he drove away? Any shot at someone driving away from you in a car is a shot to kill, because it isnt possible to "shoot to wound" in such a circumstance. If it was a warning shot, why not shoot into the air and see if he stops?
Where in the article did it say he is driving away. Maybe he was still sitting in the car and made a sudden move, and that was the reason he got shot: In what party of his body did he got shot. Why was he resisting arrest for the warrant. And from the police call he apparently was armed. All we can be sure of is that the cop felt threatened.
This case is barely under investigation and some people are making assumptions based on incomplete evidence or the lack of it.
That's a judgement call probably based on his actions during the escape and the charge on the arrest warrant. If the warrant was for unpaid parking tickets then the perceived threat would be much less than if it were a weapons charge or violent offense.
Why would we be reading this today?
"A Black man died after being shot by police", oh yes there it is!
There is that common thread that runs though all these rare incidents:
"Court records show Wright was being sought for fleeing from law enforcement officers and for possessing a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June. In that case, a statement of probable cause said police got a call about a man waving a gun who was later identified as Wright."
As officers attempted to take the individual into custody, the driver re-entered the vehicle. An officer then discharged their firearm, striking the driver. He was shot trying to dive away. Body cams were on.
Here is an idea for people who claim they need to talk to their kids about confrontations with the police - DON'T RESIST, DON'T FLEE!
Would you agree that any shot at someone trying to drive away is a shot to kill? The only thing you could possibly hit on a driver from behind is the head or neck.
Police need better training. The cop also could have hit the passenger , who presumably is innocent.
No. I'd be aiming at the tires. That might be my limits to my temper in such a case. I'm sure once I had the thug trying to flee, I'd beat him to a pulp. That's reason # 1 why I would never be a cop.
I'm sure that's not the only reason
Thug? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Did you even read what the warrant for his arrest was for?
They weren't taking chances that he was armed.
Seems that BLM wants a different standard when it comes to the law.
As for the passenger- if it was me I would have gotten the hell out of the car. Even if the LEO's hadn't fired there would have been a high speed chase. Know what a pit maneuver feels like? Depending on how it is done, the speeds involved, and the vehicles involved it can be as bad as being shot.
At least the passenger had the sense to tell the driver not to run.
I believe Vic posted it.
Shoot first and ask questions later?
If Wright had an unregistered gun, an illegal gun, he also had it 5 minutes before he was stopped. What urgency had developed during that traffic stop that required the police to kill him?
That's ALWAYS the case with a person of color.
He violently resisted arrest and was in the process of escaping, it's a night and day difference and the suspect brought it on himself. He realized he was going to jail and he was desperate and willing to do anything including assaulting police to avoid going to jail. It seems to me that this guy wanted to get killed by the cops because he did everything he could to make it happen. If a White Republican with a MAGA hat did what he did everyone would say he deserved to get shot and they'd be right.
Resisting arrest for a nonviolent crime is no excuse for summary execution by the cops!
He was escaping and I don't know about the laws in that state but in my state the cops can and will shoot. He violently resisted and escaped what part of that is a nonviolent crime ? He was also being arrested on a warrant for a gun crime which ups the ante significantly.
OK Vic, how do you explain this treatment of a black army lieutenant?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBvn5kRPVC8
Do I think he was singled out for being black? No.
Let me ask you, Perrie: When the Cambridge police were called because it looked like someone was trying to break into Henry Gates house and asked Gates to identify himself, do you think Gates flipped out because he thought they were messing with him because he was black?
One final question: Who has filled Black Americans with the idea that they are still being discriminated against?
"Let me ask you, Perrie: When the Cambridge police were called because it looked like someone was trying to break into Henry Gates house and asked Gates to identify himself, do you think Gates flipped out because he thought they were messing with him because he was black?"
WTF does that have to do with ANYTHING?
"One final question: Who has filled Black Americans with the idea that they are still being discriminated against?"
IT'S NOT AN 'IDEA' IT'S AN OBVIOUS TRUTH
The Lieutenant should have pulled over to the closest witness free dark area, thrown himself onto the ground and offered his neck for the officer to rest his donut laden knees ... ? But then the Lt. would need to balance the possibility of been shot for being uppity. It's a tough call.
Vic,
I think no white male in that uniform would be treated in that way. The guy was truly scared and that is something that is truly wrong.
They have eyes. They know what goes on. Do you actually think that white folks can talk them into thinking this, and not events like this?
Frankly, I'm disgusted.
Um ... the folks who discriminate against them? Just a wild guess ... /S
I guess we simply disagree on that one. I recall a white female veteran being shot by LE. We didn't hear a peep over it!
Do you actually think that white folks can talk them into thinking this, and not events like this?
Absolutely! Democrats stir the pot just before every election. Progressives are teaching critical race theory.
How many Black Americans still believe Michael Brown's hands were up? Didn't Obama and Holder go in trying to prove it? In the end they had to admit that Brown was attempting to get control of officer Wilson's gun when he was shot. Yet the myth lived on!
I am better - better than every progressive race baiter!
BTW, speaking of parents, where are these kids parents?
Better still, why haven't they been arrested?
Oh no, say it ain't so ... gotta ask Vic, is there a special key that you push and phrases like "critical race theory" insert themselves or do you simply type 'dog whistle'?
Think I prefer the American Bar Association's take on the subject:
Living the American dream by working a double shift?
I try not to use the left's phrases. Today I made an exception.
The American Bar Association is another disgrace.
Maybe they should send their kids out to work.
Vic.
Nevermind, words escape me on this one.
Do you actually think that white folks can talk them into thinking this
It seems like White liberals have been feeding them the notion that they are oppressed and discriminated against for decades.
Some of it is bound to stick
Ashli Babbitt? She is still making the news.
Greg, as a general question, when did "white supremacy" as a philosophy cease to exist?
It's the usual deflection and projection.
Brown was not attempting to get that killer's gun. We only have the killer's word otherwise.
The perfect answer to the notion that whites get treated differently.
Comparing 1 to 100s ... yeh that works Vic. @!@
Comparing 1 to 1,000,000s is more like it.
The fact that you can talk about it, means we heard about it and she wasn't in uniform either.
And this isn't racial theory. It is a fact. I have witnessed it with my own eyes. I was following a friend who was black and he got pulled over for no apparent reason, and he was dragged out of the car and manhandled until I got out of my car to ask what was going on.
We heard about it on the day it happened. She was shot and killed without the need for an explanation after 7 months of coddling leftist rioters who burned cities. That is the epilogue for whites.
And this isn't racial theory. It is a fact. I have witnessed it with my own eyes. I was following a friend who was black and he got pulled over for no apparent reason, and he was dragged out of the car and manhandled until I got out of my car to ask what was going on.
I'm sure we can trade personal experiences with both of us getting the desired result. The fact is that there is so much "discrimination" in modern America that the likes of Jussie Smollett had to stage a "hate crime." And BTW, he got away with it!
Projection, deflection, and denial. Is that all you have?
You mean the ones that have to be made up? Or the typical crime against Asians?
As usual, no explanations for your made up nonsense.
So some continue to deny the obvious racism against folks of color and the 150% rise (since the former occupant of the White House called Co-Vid Kung Flu or the China flu/virus?) against Asian Americans.
Some folks are deaf, dumb, and blind to the truth . . . or is it willful ignorance?
Some who claim to be more moral are immoral.
So true!
Here's what is really going on....
Most of the incidents occur when a suspect fights with cops or resists arrest. In most cases, the perps who do this are likely to be armed and already have a rap sheet. This is true no matter what race of the suspect.
From all the evidence during the last several years, the left is seemingly trying to create the false narrative that rampant and systemic racism exists and that most LEO's are racist white supremist pricks and assholes. It was Obama's game of playing the race card and his promoting the lie of overwhelming Black grievance that got this mess started. The Dems have picked up the banner are going forward with the untruth of racial inequality and injustice are trying to make it an ongoing campaign issue.
Well done!
No, not at all. Never.
When folks want to know 'what is really going on', you are not the source!
Most of the incidents occur when a suspect fights with cops or resists arrest. In most cases, the perps who do this are likely to be armed and already have a rap sheet. This is true no matter what race of the suspect.
Or they’re a black lieutenant serving their country, minding their own business, not breaking any laws, and trying to keep everyone safe during an unreasonable and unwarranted traffic stop.
That said, I’m not going to defend those who choose to run from police while they are being handcuffed for a legitimate warrant. I just don’t get it. Why? Did he have a death wish? It’s not going to work out for you no matter what. Best case: you get away for a few minutes and wind up with more serious charges. Worst case: you die. I would never want to test a police officer’s ability to not make a mistake with my life.
Astounding new information has emerged in this case.
Wright was apparently shot by accident.
He was not shot while driving away, but before he drove away. The car door was open as Wright broke free from the cops and got back in his car. A female police officer reached for her taser and shouted "taser taser" to let her fellow cops know she was using her taser.
Instead of her taser though, she had drawn her gun and she mistakenly shot him with a bullet.
The car then drives off.
This video was just shown by the police chief.
By the way the female officer seems to be distraught by having shot him.
You can train and train and train for a thing, but then when the real event happens, human beings make mistakes. She clearly thought she had her taser in her hand.
I think maybe there could be a different approach to these problems. There seems to be a sense with police that when a arrested person breaks loose like this, it’s a crisis that needs to be solved right this second. But is that really true? As much as this guy was resisting and creating chaos, he wasn’t directly threatening the lives of anyone just yet. A more patient approach might have been good enough and he might be still be alive.
That more patient approach could still have involved the taser. If the cop had been a little more deliberate about it, and waited for her partner to get himself out of the vehicle, she might have been in less of a hurry to “do something” with her weapon and she might have noticed she had the wrong weapon in her hand.
I hate to say this guy brought this on himself, but they were putting in him handcuffs. What did he think would happen?
No, he didn’t need to be killed for his behavior - that outcome wasn’t even intended - but he had to know he was taking that risk.
Maybe he tried to run because he thought he was going to be the next George Floyd.
he tried to run because he thought he was going to be the next George Floyd.
So cops can shoot people if they think they will be the next William Evans?
"I hate to say this guy brought this on himself"
But you did say it, so you really didn't hate to say it, did you?
Yeah, the truth sucks sometimes. He didn’t deserved to be killed, but he alone escalated the situation. Do you deal in truth or just snarky comments?