In Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a second night of protests erupted over the shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. More than 40 people were arrested. Police used chemical munitions to disperse the crowd.
Police have clashed with protesters for the second night in a row in suburban Minneapolis after a Black man was fatally shot by an officer during a weekend traffic stop. After a curfew deadline, police began firing gas canisters and flash-bang grenades. https://t.co/6f9Bdl6Wzu
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 13, 2021
Meanwhile, Wright’s parents are speaking out, a day after the police chief in Brooklyn Center said their son was killed due to an “accidental discharge.” Officer Kim Potter claims she thought she was reaching for her taser, but pulled her gun instead. Wright’s father reacted to that defense on Good Morning America today.
EXCLUSIVE: Daunte Wright’s father says he “can’t accept” that a police officer fatally shot his 20-year-old son by accident: “I lost my son. He is never coming back. I can’t accept that. A mistake? That doesn’t even sound right.” https://t.co/gwMJmhAfUm pic.twitter.com/oRdhS2f7vv
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 13, 2021
The 20-year-old’s mother also recounted how her son called her right after he was stopped by the police.
EXCLUSIVE: “The girl that was with him answered the phone and said that they shot him and he was laid in the driver’s seat, unresponsive.” — Daunte Wright’s mother on the moment she learned her son had been killed by police during a traffic stop. https://t.co/gwMJmhAfUm pic.twitter.com/qP81ZYlNtE
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 13, 2021
Katie Wright added that her son “was an amazing, loving kid. he had a big heart.”
He had a smile that would light up the room. it was so big and bright and he was just — he was amazing and he’s my son and he’s never going — he just had his whole life taken away from him. We had our hearts pulled out of our chests. He was my baby.
As for what should happen to the officer who took their son’s life, Daunte’s mother says, “I would like to see justice served and her held accountable for everything she’s taken from us.”
Katie Wright also spoke to the community about her son on Monday. Watch what she said above from NBC News.