Daily US Times: The fatal shooting of a black man named Daunte Wright by a police officer in Minnesota’s Brooklyn Center in was an accident, the police chief has said.
Chief Tim Gannon told reporters that the twenty years old Daunte Wright was shot after the officer meant to use a Taser, but mistakenly drew her gun instead,
Mr Wright’s death has sparked protests and authorities declared a curfew.
Tensions in nearby Minneapolis are high as the trial of ex-officer Derek Chauvin accused of killing George Floyd continues.
On Sunday, Mr Wright was pulled over for a traffic violation, but there was a struggle when he tried to get back into his car.
Police chief Gannon played a short video from the body camera worn by a policewoman, which shows the victim trying to get back into his car as officers attempt to handcuff him on the side of the road.
An officer can then be heard in the video saying “Taser, Taser, Taser” – normal police procedure before firing one of the stun guns. In the video shown at a press conference on Monday, Mr Wright is seen to get into his car and drive away, while the same officer says “I just shot him”.
Fatally wounded, Mr Wright crashed a few streets away.
Chief Gannon said: “It is my belief the officer meant to deploy their Taser but shot him with a single bullet. There’s nothing I can say to lessen the pain.”
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