"It was accidental."
The Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police chief said Monday at a press conference that the agent who fatally shot Daunte Wright on Sunday after trying to arrest him made a mistake and mistook his firearm for the electric taser.
The officer is on administrative leave.
During the press conference, the body camera video of the agent who shot during the event was revealed, in which several agents stopped Wright while he was driving in the city and tried to stop him, according to authorities.
The victim drove away, but collided with another vehicle after driving a few blocks and died at the scene, according to a statement from the local police department.
[One of the officers who threatened and beat an Afro-Latino military man in Virginia after the state police opened an investigation is fired]
"Our training requires that we use the firearm in the dominant hand and the taser in the other.
I think the officer tried to use the taser and instead the officer fired
. I think it was an accidental use of the firearm that resulted in the death of Daunte Wright, "Police Chief Tim Gannon explained at a press conference.
"I ask the community to be patient.
We support peaceful protests, but not looting or destruction of businesses
. The relevant authorities are doing the investigation and it is too early to know who is going to handle the judicial case," added the agent. .
In the images from the officer's body camera, two officers can be seen boarding the white car in which Wrigh was parked on the side of the road.
He walked out the door and the police tried to handcuff him.
Suddenly he got away, got back into the car and started a skirmish with the agents.
The officer drew the gun, fired, and the car fled.
The police had been on duty for six years, according to the chief of police, and they tried to arrest the young man after realizing that he had an outstanding arrest warrant.
"We are going to get to the bottom of this matter and we will do everything in our power to see justice done for Dante. We will continue to hold press conferences," he added.
"The police present at the scene of the incident were trying to apprehend the driver and tried to save the life of the young man, however, the young man died at the scene of the incident," added the mayor of the city, Mike Elliott.
"We are all devastated and it has been this way since Floyd's death. And there is still mistrust in the Derek Chauvin process. Our entire community is in mourning over this incident. I fully support that the officer be removed," added the politician.
Gannon warned that if there are peaceful protests they could "proceed", but that the police will protect the city in the "best way" in case of violence.
"My commitment is to protect the peaceful demonstrations, something that did not happen yesterday," he reiterated.
Why did they leave Dante's body on the ground for five hours ?: "Our priority was to remove the body as soon as possible without disturbing the crime scene," said the police chief, who has 27 years of experience in the trade.
Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz posted on Twitter that "the state is mourning another life for a black man taken away by law enforcement."
Various media indicate that it was
a 20-year-old young man
.
A man jumps on top of a police car this Sunday in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, in protest at the death of Daunte Wright.
AP / AP
["A disgusting trend": an Afro-Latino military man sues two Virginia police officers for beating and intimidating him after stopping his car]
Following the incident, peaceful protests, but also late-night riots, broke out in Brooklyn Center - a Minneapolis suburb located about 10 miles from where George Floyd was killed by police less than a year ago.
The authorities ordered the deployment of the National Guard
.
Wright's family and friends
gathered to mourn the deceased young man
and mourn his death, along with protesters carrying "Black Lives Matter" flags and marching with raised hands.
and that he got back in the car, after which a police officer fired.
People close to the young man maintain that the officer who opened fire shot him before he got back into his vehicle.
Along with him was his girlfriend, who suffered minor injuries, according to the Star Tribune newspaper.
More and more cases of police brutality come to light after the death of George Floyd
June 10, 202002: 05
The protests over what happened turned violent outside the headquarters of the Brooklyn Center Police Department.
Stones and objects were thrown and shots were heard nearby
, according to John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said early Monday.
Late Sunday night, Brooklyn Center police fired gas at a crowd of protesters who had gathered outside the police station.
Several stores were vandalized.
Details on whether there were injuries or arrests have not yet been released.
Daunte Wright's family and friends mourn his death this Sunday in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
AP / AP
The riots also spread to the nearby Brooklyn Park suburb, according to local police.
She explained that the glass on the door of her own headquarters
was smashed by a bullet
and that several businesses were looted.
The event this Sunday occurred while in Minneapolis the trial against Derek Chauvin, the former policeman of this city accused of causing the death of George Floyd, is being held.
With information from NBC News, Ap, Reuters, Star Tribune.
