Police in a Minneapolis suburb say an officer fatally shot a driver Sunday, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement, CBS Minnesota reports. The deadly encounter and ensuing unrest came in the midst of the Derek Chauvin trial for the killing of George Floyd.
Police said officers in the city of Brooklyn Center pulled over a driver they’d determined had an outstanding warrant just before 2 p.m. Police said when they tried to arrest him, he got back in his vehicle and drove away. An officer fired at the vehicle, hitting the driver. Police said the vehicle traveled several blocks before hitting another vehicle. No one in that second vehicle was hurt.
The driver of the first vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said officers were believed to be wearing activated body cameras at the time of the shooting.
A crowd began to gather at the crash scene later in the afternoon. Just after 6 p.m., protesters tore down crime scene tape, with the crowd and the victim’s family demanding answers from law enforcement.
A woman who said she’s the driver’s mother, Katie Wright, told the crowd her son — 20-year-old Daunte Wright — was the man who was shot. She said Wright’s girlfriend was in the car with him during the traffic stop. Police said the woman suffered non-life threatening injuries in the crash and was taken to a hospital.
Protesters later gathered at Brooklyn Center Police headquarters. Law enforcement formed a human chain to protect the building and started using flashbangs and tear gas to try to disperse the crowd, according to CBS Minnesota reporters at the scene.
