This article contains descriptions of police brutality.
In the midst of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd, another unarmed Black man was killed by police just 10 miles from the courtroom.
On Sunday night, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed following a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center. According to local CBS affiliate WCCO, Wright had called his mother to let her know that he had been pulled over by police for having air fresheners hanging on his window. Police alleged that Wright had an outstanding arrest warrant, leading them to take him into custody, but Wright reportedly attempted to get back into his car during the arrest when an officer shot him.
The 20-year-old, who was in the car with his girlfriend, drove a few blocks before crashing into another vehicle. Wright was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the police, his girlfriend sustained non-fatal injuries in the crash and was taken to a hospital.
Protestors rapidly mobilized in the streets on Sunday evening, gathering at the site of the crash. Wright’s mother, Katie, spoke to the crowd, according to WCCO.
“I just want people to know that if you get pulled over, make sure you put your hands up and don’t make any sudden moves and don’t have air fresheners in your car because that’s why he got pulled over,” she said. “And he was only 20 years old and he didn’t deserve to be shot and killed like this. And I don’t want all of this, all of this. I just want my baby home. That’s all I want is I want him to be home.”
Officers responded to the scene following some reports of vandalism and looting in the area, leading Brooklyn City Mayor Mike Elliott to order a curfew until 6 a.m. Monday morning, per the New York Times. Elliott called for peace on Twitter, imploring law enforcement officials to ensure that “peaceful protesters are not dealt with with force.”
But that did not come to fruition, as law enforcement arrived at the Brooklyn Center Police Department in riot gear. Officers proceeded to deploy tear gas and flash bangs in an attempt to disperse protesters gathered at the scene, as shown in a video tweeted by WCCO reporter David Schuman.
According to USA Today, the usage of tear gas in war was banned by the United Nations’ Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997, but its usage for “law enforcement purposes” remains legal. The long term effects of tear gas exposure can include “scarring, glaucoma, and cataracts, and may possibly cause breathing problems such as asthma,” according to the Centers for Disease Control. Tear gas may also affect reproductive health negatively in the long run.
