Minnesota resident Daunte Wright was killed via an “accidental discharge” of a police officer’s gun, officials said on Monday, with an investigation underway. Wright was pulled over by law enforcement for expired tags on his vehicle, while having an outstanding arrest warrant. Officers attempted arrest, and one deployed her gun instead of her taser, accidentally, the police chief said.
"It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet," Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Police Chief Tim Gannon said on Monday. "This appears to me, from what I've viewed and the officer's reaction and distress immediately after, that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright."
A full investigation is still pending, but Democrat Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) took to Twitter to call for “no more policing.”
It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) April 12, 2021
Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder.
No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed.
The fate of the officer who shot Wright accidentally is not yet determined. Mayor Mike Elliott indicated that he supports relieving the officer of her duties.
A day after Daunte Wright was fatally shot by a police officer, the police chief in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, released body-camera video of the traffic stop and said what he thought happened, calling the shooting an "accidental discharge." https://t.co/ExLKE2qXZS pic.twitter.com/VGNAajZmFl
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 13, 2021