Protests After Cops Fatally Shoot Black Man Near Minneapolis

Daunte Wright, 20, was stopped Sunday on an outstanding warrant
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 12, 2021 2:25 AM CDT
Updated Apr 12, 2021 6:21 AM CDT
Protests After Cops Fatally Shoot Black Man Near Minneapolis
People march in protest Sunday, April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minn. The family of Daunte Wright, 20, told a crowd that he was shot by police Sunday before getting back into his car and driving away, then crashing the vehicle several blocks away.   (AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa)

Protesters and police clashed Sunday night in Brooklyn Center, Minn., near Minneapolis, after police fatally shot a Black man that afternoon. Daunte Wright, 20, was stopped around 2pm on an outstanding warrant, the AP reports. Police say they tried to arrest him and he got back in his car and drove away, at which point they fired upon the car and Wright was hit. He drove on for several blocks before crashing into another vehicle, and was pronounced dead at the scene. A female passenger received non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, and a police officer was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries sustained in the incident, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The state's governor, Tim Walz, says Minnesota "mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement."

Tensions were already high in the area as week three of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin's trial in the death of George Floyd is about to begin. Wright's mom tells CBS Minnesota he called her to tell her he was being pulled over, and she heard officers tell him to get out of the car and someone saying "Daunte, don't run" before a cop ended the call. "All he did was have air fresheners in the car and they told him to get out of the car," she says. "I just want people to know that if you get pulled over, make sure you put your hands up and don’t make any sudden moves, and don’t have air fresheners in your car because that’s why he got pulled over." As protesters gathered, police officers used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs, and accused some of looting and vandalism. The mayor issued a curfew order, National Guard troops were brought in, and schools were switched to distance learning for Monday. (More Minnesota stories.)

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