This new incident adding to the chain of heartbreaking injustice on American soil took place on April 11, 2021, where Daunte Demetrius Wright, a 20-year-old African-American man was fatally shot by Kimberly Potter, a police officer, during a traffic stop for an outstanding arrest warrant in Brooklyn Centre, Minnesota.
Kimberly Potter is a 26-year-old veteran of
the Brooklyn Centre police force and the head of the local police force. The
incident took place about 16 kilo meters away from where police officer Derek
Chauvin is on trial in the killing of George Floyd.
The Main Incident
Police initially said that Mr. Wright was
pulled over was because of traffic regulation, but on Monday said it was
because of an expired registration. Once Wright was stopped, the cops found out
that he has an outstanding warrant.
The chaos that ensued according to
witnesses and the body cam recordings available included Wright being pulled
out of the car to detain him, after which he climbs back into the driver’s seat,
ensuing a struggle, the background yelling of an officer for a taser and voices
saying that Wright has been shot.
After which Mr. Wright was seen driving
away in his car to escape but struck a vehicle shortly after travelling a few
blocks. The paramedics pronounced Mr. Wright dead at the scene.The Hennepin
County medical examiner later concluded on Monday that Mr. Wright passed away
because of a bullet wound in the chest.
Official Statements
The police chief for Brooklyn Center, Tim
Gannon, after closely reviewing evidence has said that he believes that the
officer was intending to use the taser but instead shot Mr. Wright.
Katie Wright, Mr. Wright’s mother, told
reporters that she was on a call with her son when the incident happened.
According to her, Mr. Wright said they pulled him over because he had air
fresheners hanging from his rear view mirror. Following which the phone had fallen
or was put down, and she heard sounds of scuffling and a cop saying Mr. Wright
to not run. Then the call dropped. When she called back on the phone, a lady
who was in the car along with Mr. Wright picked up and responded that he had
been shot.
The Fuel to the Fire
The death of Daunte Wright has set of
series of outraged protests around Brooklyn and is happening just six weeks
before the painful anniversary of the death of George Floyd who was killed in
the same vicinity. Floyd’s unjustly killing had led to a widespread
international outcry over racial injustice, systemic racism, and gaining more
voice for the Black Lives Matter movement.
After the shooting, the protestors gathered
around the police headquarters near Brooklyn Centre, and on Sunday night,
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott issued a curfew through 6 a.m. local time
Monday morning.
Police reportedly fired tear gas and rubber
bullets at protesters who gathered near a police station, and strife lasted
late into the night. They fired gas even reached nearby apartments and
disrupted residents who had to close doors and windows as it filled up their
homes.
About the Perpetrator
Kimberly Potterwas indoctrinated as a
police officer in 1995 at the age of 22, corresponding to the information by
the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and has been in several incidents that have found
themselves under heavy scrutiny.
The Star-Tribune also reported that Potter
had previously been involved in a fatal police shooting involving 21-year-old
Kobe Dimock-Heisler, a Black man, who was described as being on the autistic
spectrum. According to the victims of the particular situation, the police
failed to de-escalate the situation and even used deadly force and provoked
Kobe further making things difficult.
In less than 48 hours of the shooting of
Mr. Wright, Potter signed in her resignation. The Brooklyn Center Police Chief
Tim Gannon who had been chief since 2015 also resigned on Tuesday.
State of Minneapolis
With the upcoming closing trial for the
charges on Derek Chauvin on the killing of George Floyd, there is palpable
tension in the air around the city of Minneapolis. If the city had been on edge
before, the incident of the shooting of Mr. Wright is just adding fuel to the
fire.
Various regions have been in a state of
unrest with the National Guard troops patrolling the downtown area with the
protection of concrete mesh and barbed wires, but Mr. Wright’s incident just
tipped the scale.
Systemic Racism
Some statistics show large numbers of
police officers charged with murders or man slaughters where less than half of
them are convicted or result in conviction of criminal cases. There are clear
signs of difficulty in prosecuting American officers due to union protection,
different legal standards, and implicit bias. There is also a clear case of
systemic racism unavoidably true despite today's age.
According to Benjamin Crump, the attorney representing both families of
Floyd and Wright who was interviewed by the Guardian, “We must remember, not so
long ago they weren’t charging any police officer for killing a Black person.
So, we’re making progress in America. Are we at a point where we can say it is
equality? Oh, we’re a long way from that.”
Both families of George and Floyd will have
to wait and see how the court will avail them justice.
Written
by - Sreya Sara Binoy
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