The President of United States, Joe Biden has asked for “peace and calm” following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota by the police, saying his death is not a justification for violence or looting.
Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot by a female police officer recently during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.
A police officer’s body camera footage released revealed that that Wright stepped out of his car got back in. It’s unclear as to why he got back inside his car, but Brooklyn Center Police Chief, Tim Gannon explained to reporters that from the video, it appeared that Wright was attempting to leave the scene. Also, Gannon said that the video showed that an officer shouted “Taser!” but shot at and killed Daunte Wright.
According to Wright’s mother, who spoke to her son before the shooting happened, he was stopped for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, which is not legal in Minnesota.
Police said that he was stopped for violating traffic rule. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes that based on the body camera video, the cop who shot Wright felt she was firing a Taser and not her gun.
While calling for calm, Biden tweeted: “Today I’m thinking about Daunte Wright and his family and the pain, anger, and trauma that Black America experiences every day. While we await a full investigation, we know what we need to do to move forward: rebuild trust and ensure accountability so no one is above the law.”
While speaking with reporters about Wright’s death, President Biden said: “I haven’t called Daunte Wright’s family, but my prayers are with the family. It’s really a tragic thing that happened. The question is was it an accident? Was it intentional? That remains to be determined by a full-blown investigation.”
Biden called for any protests against Wright’s killing to be “peaceful.”
He said: “There is absolutely no justification, none, for looting, no justification for violence. Peaceful protests, understandable, and the fact is that, you know, we do know that the anger, pain, and trauma that exists in the Black community in that environment is real, it’s serious and it’s consequential. But it will not justify violence and/or looting.
“And we should listen to Daunte’s mom, who is calling for peace and calm.”
When asked whether he would use federal resources to help maintain peace, Biden made it known that he had already done so due to Chauvin’s trial.
He said: “There are already federal resources. There will not be a lack of help and support from the federal government if the local authorities believe it’s needed.”
