Hundreds of people marched toward the city police department Sunday night after the man, identified by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Daunte Wright, died after a traffic stop and a subsequent car accident.
Police said they were trying to detain a man after determining he had outstanding arrest warrants during a traffic stop. The man returned to his vehicle and an officer fired his firearm and shot him, police said. The man then drove several blocks before colliding with another vehicle, police said.
Members of the Minnesota National Guard keep watch as protesters leave the Brooklyn Center police station on Sunday.
“Gwen and I are praying for Daunte Wright’s family as our state mourns another life of a black man taken by police,” Walz wrote in a tweet.
Aerial footage from Citizen Free Press affiliate KARE on Sunday showed that several police cars around the Brooklyn Center crash site were surrounded by crowds after the death. The affiliate’s video showed people trying to damage police vehicles.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott ordered a curfew from early Monday to 6 am the same day after declaring a local emergency due to “growing civil unrest,” read an emergency proclamation.
“We want to make sure everyone is safe,” the mayor said in a tweet. Please stay safe and go home.
The fatal incident comes as the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd enters its third week in court just 10 miles away.
It’s been less than 11 months since Floyd was killed in Minneapolis after Chauvin knelt on his neck. When the video of his death went viral last May, protests erupted across the United States.
Brooklyn Center Community Schools announced that schools will be closed Monday and will move to distance learning “as a precaution following the shooting involving police officers,” Superintendent Dr. Carly Baker wrote in a message posted on the website of the school.
“I have not fully processed the tragedy that took place in our community and I am prioritizing the safety and well-being of our students, families, staff members, and community members.”
A crowd marches towards the police department
People raise their hands in front of authorities on Sunday, April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
About 100 people were at the opening scene, and then 100 to 200 people marched toward the Brooklyn Center Police Department, Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner John Harrington said during an overnight news conference.
After dark, groups of people had gathered around the Brooklyn Center Police Department, Citizen Free Press teams at the scene reported. The officers lined up outside the apartment and some stood at the top of the building.
Harrington said there were reports of people throwing rocks and other objects at the police department building. There were also reports of gunfire in the department area, according to Harrington.
While one group remained at the police department, a second group was seen at the Shingle Creek Mall, where about 20 businesses were vandalized, Harrington said.
Most of the crowd at the police department has dispersed, according to Harrington.
A representative from the Brooklyn Center Police Department announced that it was an illegal gathering and gave the group a ten-minute warning to disperse at 9:30 p.m.
Five minutes later, they were given a five-minute warning to leave before a loud noise was heard and people ran out. Part of the crowd remained in place after dispersal orders.
In nearby Minneapolis, Harrington said a strike team was deployed to deal with reports of break-ins and shootings.
“You will see elements from a wide variety of National Guard, state and local police departments working together over the next two to three days,” said Harrington.
Police say the victim died at the scene
Hennepin County and Brooklyn Center Police officers in the area of the incident on April 11, 2021.
Police said they were attempting to detain the man after determining he had outstanding arrest warrants during a traffic stop.
The man returned to his vehicle and a police officer fired his firearm, hitting him, according to a statement from Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon. The man then drove several blocks before colliding with another vehicle, police said.
Police and medical personnel tried to save the man’s life after the accident, but he died at the scene, Gannon said.
Citizen Free Press has contacted the medical examiner’s office to find out the official cause of death.
Images of the incident exist from a police body camera, but have not yet been released, authorities said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Detention (BCA) is on the scene and will conduct an investigation into the incident, according to Gannon.