The killing of Daunte Wright – a 20-year-old African-American man – has incited widespread protests across the US with people demanding an end to police brutality in the name of Black Lives Matter.
Wright died on Sunday (April 11) after a run-in with cops in the suburbs of Minneapolis. Like countless Black men before him, he was stopped for a minor infraction while driving. Police officer, Kim Potter, then discovered that a "gross misdemeanour warrant" for Wright's arrest had been issued.
Minutes later, shots rang out. In a panic, Potter had allegedly intended to use a taser but instead fired a handgun. The officer has since resigned from the force as Wright's family, including his little boy, try to come to terms with their unimaginable loss.
As Minnesota grapples with police killing yet another Black man, here, VT takes a look at the shocking facts around the tragic death of Daunte Wright...
1. George Floyd's girlfriend was Wright's teacher
George Floyd and Wright both died at the hands of Minnesota police officers, but their connection goes deeper.
His aunt, Naisha Wright, revealed at a press conference that Floyd's girlfriend, Courteney Ross, once taught her nephew Daunte while he was a student at the Edison High School in Minneapolis.
"The craziest thing is to find out today that my family has connections to this man, to this family. His girlfriend was a teacher for my nephew," she said as she pointed to her shirt, which featured a picture of Floyd with a mask over his mouth that reads: "I can't breathe."
Ross confirmed the connection to the Washington Post. Speaking of Wright, she said she remembered him as a "silly boy, as goofy as can be [who] needed a lot of love. Students like Daunte needed more resources but they never got more resources."
2. He was pulled over on account of an air freshener
On Monday (April 12th), police said that Wright was pulled over for a minor traffic violation before events escalated. His mother, Katie Wright, however, said that her son called her after being pulled over to say he was stopped because of "air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror".
A law in Minnesota prohibits motorists from hanging items from their rearview mirrors.
However, in a briefing on Monday, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said that Wright was remanded because of an expired registration on the vehicle. He added: "When the officer went over, an item hanging from the rearview mirror was spotted." The officers then proceeded to arrest him after realising that there was an existing warrant out for his arrest.
3. Wright's mother saw him on FaceTime as he died
Just moments before he was fatally shot, Wright called his mother to inform her that he had gotten pulled over by the police. Tragically, she had no idea that that would be the last time she would speak with her child, who himself leaves behind a two-year-old child, Daunte Wright Jr.
His mother, Katie, said that Wright had asked to get insurance information in a press conference held yesterday (April 13th). "I said OK, when the police officer comes back to the window, put him on the phone and I can give him all our insurance information," she stated.
"A second goes by, and I hear the police officer come back up to the window and ask Daunte to get out of the car. Daunte asked, 'For what?' The police officer said, 'I'll explain to you when you get out of the car.'" Katie went on to reveal that she then heard officer Potter and her son struggling.
"Then the police officer asked him to hang up the phone," she continued. "Three or four seconds went by. I tried calling back to back to back because I didn't know what was going on."
Then, when Wright called her son to figure out what was going on, she said that the woman in the car with Wright answered the phone via FaceTime. "She was crying and screaming, and she said that they shot him," she said tearfully. "And then she pointed the phone towards the driver’s seat and my son was laying there, unresponsive. That was the last time that I saw my son, that’s the last time I heard from my son. And I’ve had no explanation since then."
4. Wright had an open warrant for smoking one joint of marijuana as a minor
The warrant in question dated back to 2019 when he was a minor. Wright was caught smoking one joint of marijuana, for which he was given a ticket.
He pled guilty and was charged $75 and $81 in fees on a payment plan. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it went to collections, which led to the police opening a warrant for his arrest.
In an interesting turn, this comes as Minnesota is in the process of making recreational marijuana use legal.
5. Police have called Wright's death an 'accident'
The police chief of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, has claimed that Wright's death was just an accident. During a press conference on Monday, he said that officer Potter – who has worked in the department for 26 years – meant to use a taser, but accidentally drew her gun instead.
He played footage from the body camera worn by the officer. It shows Wright trying to get back into his car as officers handcuff him on the road. Potter can then be heard saying "taser, taser, taser" before commenting "holy s**t, I just shot him". The 20-year-old then crashed his car several streets away after being fatally wounded.
"It is my belief the officer meant to deploy their Taser but shot him with a single bullet," Chief Gannon said. "There's nothing I can say to lessen the pain. Our hearts are aching right now, we are in pain right now. We recognise this couldn't have happened at a worse time. This is happening at a time that all of our community, all of America, indeed all of the world is watching."
Potter was then placed on administrative leave. She has since resigned.
6. Potter has since fled her home
After her address was posted to social media, Potter – who called the firing "accidental discharge" – reportedly fled her home yesterday (April 13th) as Black Lives Matter protests continued in Brooklyn Center and Minnesota.
Authorities enforced an overnight curfew on Sunday night, and on Monday. Meanwhile, the mayors of Minneapolis and St Paul declared a local state of emergency.
The Minnesota National Guard, who were already deployed for the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, have also been sent to Brooklyn Center.
7. Minnesota Police are responsible for the deaths of Daunte Wright and George Floyd
Troublingly, Wright and Floyd both died during confrontations with police in the Minneapolis area. In fact, Wright was fatally wounded just 11 miles away from where Floyd was killed while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department last year.
Of course, his death comes as the Derek Chauvin murder trial over the death of George Floyd continues. The former Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020. And this is an irony that isn't lost on their families as well as protestors in Minnesota.
Signs emblazoned with the words "During the trial!!?" were seen as demonstrators and police clashed during the third night of protests across Brooklyn Center.
On Tuesday, members of Floyd's family left the trial to meet the Wright family outside of the Minneapolis courthouse. Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, told the grieving family: "We will stand in support with you. The world is traumatized, watching another African American man being slayed. I woke up in the morning with this on my mind. I don't want to see another victim. It's a time for change, and that time is now."
Feature Image Credit: Alamy