Minneapolis Erupts in Looting, Riots After Police Shooting of Black Man
Black Lives Matters rioters erupted in violence after a police officer allegedly killed a black man during a traffic stop on Sunday afternoon.
There is now a curfew.
UPDATE: Cop Thought She had a Taser
From ABC News:
Police in a Minneapolis suburb where a Black man was fatally shot during a traffic stop say the officer who fired intended to use a Taser, not a handgun.Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting as “an accidental discharge.”The man identified by relatives as 20-year-old Daunte Wright died Sunday in Brooklyn Center, a city of about 30,000 people on the northwest border of Minneapolis. His death sparked violent protests, with officers in riot gear clashing with demonstrators into Monday morning.
Police Shooting
Duante Wright’s relatives allege the unnamed police officer shot and killed him after he pulled over Wright, who had an outstanding warrant. He allegedly tried to run from the police:
Police in Brooklyn Center, which borders Minneapolis, said the shooting occurred as they were trying to take a driver with an outstanding warrant into custody following a traffic stop just before 2 p.m. Sunday.An officer shot the man after he re-entered his vehicle, police said in a statement“The vehicle traveled several blocks before striking another vehicle,” police said. “Officers in pursuit and responding medical personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the person died at the scene.”
A woman identified as Duante’s mother told local media her son said the police came after him over air fresheners in his car:
Wright’s mother, Katie Wright, tearfully pleaded near the scene Sunday afternoon for more information and for her son’s body to be moved from the street. She also urged the protesters to remain peaceful.”All he did was have air fresheners in the car and they told him to get out of the car,” Wright said, explaining that her son called her when he was getting pulled over. During the call, she said she heard scuffling and then someone saying “Daunte, don’t run” before the phone call ended. When she called back, her son’s girlfriend answered and said Daunte had been shot.”He got out of the car, and his girlfriend said they shot him,” she said. “He got back in the car, and he drove away and crashed and now he’s dead on the ground since 1:47. … Nobody will tell us anything. Nobody will talk to us. … I said please take my son off the ground.”
Riots and Looting
Riots and looting broke out several hours later.
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