Police in a Minneapolis suburb say an officer shot a driver Sunday and sparked clashes between protesters and law enforcement, CBS Minnesota reports. The death of the man, identified by the family as Daunte Wright, and the consequent concerns came in the midst of Derek Chauvin’s trial for the assassination of George Floyd.
Police said officers from the city of Brooklyn Center removed a driver they had determined had a pending order just before 2 p.m. An officer fired at the vehicle and struck the driver. Police said the vehicle went through several blocks before hitting another. No one in that second vehicle was injured.
The driver of the first vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said officers were believed to be carrying activated cameras at the time of the shooting.
A crowd began gathering at the crash site later in the afternoon. Just after six in the afternoon, protesters tore down the tape of the crime scene, with the crowd and the victim’s family demanding answers from law enforcement.
A woman who said she was the driver’s mother, Katie Wright, told the crowd that her son, 20-year-old Daunte Wright, was the man who was shot. He said Wright’s partner was in the car with him during the traffic stop. Police said the woman suffered non-fatal injuries in the crash and was taken to a hospital.
Authorities said the Hennepin County Medical Office will release the name of the man who died after a preliminary autopsy and a notification from his family.
Protesters later gathered at the Brooklyn Center police headquarters. Law enforcement forces formed a human chain to protect the building and began using flashbangs and tear gas to try to disperse the crowd, CBS Minnesota reporters reported at the scene.
Katie Wright / CBS Minnesota