Brooklyn Center officer, chief resign; mayor wants AG Ellison to handle Wright case
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Brooklyn Center police chief and officer who killed Daunte Wright both resign; demonstrations continue
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Maple Grove order curfew starting 10 p.m. Tuesday night; Brooklyn Park curfew starts at 8 p.m.
Washington County Attorneyโs Office reviewing Wrightโs killing for possible charges; decision may come as soon as Wednesday
Updated: 5:15 p.m.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott on Tuesday called for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to handle the case of Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old who was killed Sunday by a Brooklyn Center police officer during a traffic stop.
Elliott also said that Kim Potter, the officer who shot Wright, has resigned, as has Tim Gannon, who was the cityโs police chief.
Ellisonโs office is currently overseeing the prosecution of Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer on trial now for murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.
The Washington County Attorneyโs Office has been tapped to review the Brooklyn Center shooting for possible charges. That decision could come as soon as Wednesday. Ellison is focused on Chauvin but expects Washington County Attorney Pete Orput to move quickly, a Walz administration spokesperson said.
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Separately Tuesday, Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said heโs now representing the family of Daunte Wright. He did not say if he would take specific legal action against the city of Brooklyn Center, but said the officer and the city should be held accountable.
Speaking next to Crump, Wright's grandmother Angie Golson said she couldn't believe it when she heard he'd been killed. โIt hurt me to my heart. Daunte was a beautiful child,โ she said. โHe might not have been an angel, but he was our angel. Our angel.โ
Officials: Cop meant to fire Taser but drew handgun
Brooklyn Center officials on Monday said Wrightโs killing was an accident, that Potter, a 26-year police veteran, had intended to stun the man with her Taser gun but accidentally drew her handgun instead and fired once.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Wright died by a single shot to the chest and ruled the death a homicide.
Wright was stopped by police at around 2 p.m. Sunday as he was driving in a residential neighborhood.
Brooklyn Center police said in an earlier statement that officers discovered โan outstanding warrantโ and tried to take him into custody, when he got back into his car. Gannon on Monday noted the registration tabs on the license plates were expired, although it wasnโt clear if that was the initial reason for the stop.
Footage played Monday by the chief showed officers taking Wright into custody by the car but Wright gets away from their grip and back into the driverโs seat as a struggle ensues.
Potter can be heard yelling โTaser! Taser! Taser!โ to alert her fellow officers that she plans to stun Wright. But sheโs holding her handgun when she fires.
Wright managed to drive off but crashed into another vehicle several blocks away.
News of the killing led to demonstrations. On Monday night, hundreds of people gathered outside the Brooklyn Center police station just before a 7 p.m. curfew went into effect for Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka and Dakota counties, per Gov. Tim Walzโs order.
While Walzโs curfew is lifted, the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Maple Grove ordered a curfew starting Tuesday night at 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. Wednesday. Brooklyn Park ordered a curfew starting at 8 p.m.
โHe didnโt deserve thisโ
On Monday night, as the sun was setting and the drizzle falling, Clarence McCrownsie โ who grew up in Brooklyn Center โ came out to join the growing group of people gathered outside the police station.
Until now, the 19-year-old had never taken part in a protest, but this time was different. McCrownsie said he knew Wright as a child. They hadnโt stayed in close touch after, but McCrownsie said the news that Wright was killed hit him hard.
โWe used to go to school together. We knew each other since we were little kids. And itโs heartbreaking, so Iโm sad about it,โ McCrownsie said. โSo Iโm out here protesting for him. We need justice for him. He didnโt deserve this at all.โ
Hundreds of people gathered on Humboldt Avenue outside the police station. It was tense from the beginning. Officers, wearing riot gear and armed with nightsticks, stood behind a chain link fence absorbing taunts from people on the other side.
As night fell, an officer with a bullhorn declared the assembly unlawful, and warned everyone to leave. Police began using tear gas.
While some did disperse, others launched aerial fireworks at police. Officers fired flash-bang grenades, 40 mm foam rounds and more tear gas canisters.
The crowd shrank in size as scores of police standing shoulder to shoulder pushed the crowd north on Humboldt Avenue. Throughout the evening, there was no visible National Guard presence near the police station.
No one immediately stopped looters from breaking into the Dollar Tree and Boost Mobile stores in a shopping center across the street. By 9:30 p.m., smoke could be seen wafting out of the Dollar Treeโs broken windows.
A half hour later, as police continued their push toward 69th Avenue, the crowd had largely departed.
Minnesota State Patrol Col. Matt Langer said at least 40 people were arrested in Brooklyn Center. Many were cited for misdemeanor curfew violations; those suspected of more serious crimes are being held in the Hennepin County Jail.
Wright's mother, Katie Wright, appeared with his father and a pair of attorneys on โGood Morning Americaโ Tuesday. Katie Wright said that sheโd been on the phone with her son just seconds before he was shot.
She said she couldnโt imagine why the situation escalated so quickly.
โI know my son was scared. He was afraid of the police,โ she said, adding that she โheard the fear in his voice.โ
โIt should have never, ever escalated the way that it did.โ