Riot breaks out in Minneapolis suburb after police fatally shoot man

Riot police were called in to control a crowd in Brooklyn Center after a man was shot by police during a traffic stop.

By
Kyle Hooten
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Rioter trampled police cars after a man was shot by police in a Minneapolis suburb Sunday night. (Twitter/KBoomhauer)

Rioters clashed with police in a Minneapolis suburb Sunday evening after an officer involved shooting left a suspect dead earlier in the day.

Police pulled a driver over for a traffic violation around 2 p.m. near 63rd Avenue North and Orchard Avenue in Brooklyn Center. After determining that the driver had an outstanding warrant, an officer attempted to make an arrest. The suspect was shot when attempting to reenter his vehicle, then drove several blocks, crashed into another vehicle and died, according to the Brooklyn Center Police Department. The passenger in the suspect’s vehicle was also injured.

A crowd gathered near the scene of the officer involved shooting Sunday afternoon. As tensions escalated, riot police arrived to control the demonstrators who were filmed jumping on cop cars.

At one point, a demonstrator lobbed a rock into the police line.

Image source: Twitter/Boomhauer
Twitter/KBoomhauer

Another man was struck by nonlethal ordnance as he attempted to throw what appeared to be a cinderblock between two smashed cop cars at officers.

Protesters eventually succeeded in forcing the police line to slowly retreat around 7:45.

Law enforcement apparently vacated the area around 8 p.m., while demonstrators remained in the street. One woman could be heard shouting “fuck the police” at the departing officers.

During the demonstration, a livestream captured a man who claimed to be the deceased’s sibling speaking to the crowd. “This is my little brother,” he said, referencing the man who was killed by police. The man also volunteered that his brother was black.

“We wasn’t the best kids, growing up,” the man continued. “We gave my mama hell. Through anything, police, bail outs, everything — we don’t live the best life.”

The woman in the middle wrapped in a blanket told those gathered that it was her son who was shot. The man with the green shirt says the deceased was his brother. The other three individuals seem to be other relatives, possibly siblings, of the man who was shot. (Facebook livestream/King Demetrius Pendleton)

A woman who appeared to be the deceased’s mother then interjected, saying that her “son was 20 years old … He got out of the car and his girlfriend said they shot him.” The girlfriend referenced seems to be the passenger who was injured in the incident.

Although the deceased has not been officially named, his family and others came forward Sunday, tentatively identifying him as Daunte Wright. If this is accurate, the arrest warrant police say they were trying to serve on Sunday was related to a weapons charge.

Wright allegedly possessed an illegal handgun and evaded police on June 30, 2020. He was set to appear in court April 2, 2021 in relation to these charges, but did not present himself, triggering a warrant for his arrest.

Update: Police deployed tear gas and flash bangs late Sunday night outside a Brooklyn Center Police Department precinct, where hundreds of protesters were gathered.

There were reports of looting at a Foot Locker, Walmart, and several other stores in the area. Crime Watch Minneapolis says there were also reports of looting in north Minneapolis.

Brooklyn Center Community Schools canceled in-person classes Monday in response to the riots. Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan weighed in on the situation late Sunday night on Twitter.

This is a developing story. Check back at Alpha News for updates. 

 

Kyle Hooten

Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.

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