Around 40 people were arrested on Monday night, as police fired tear gas at protesters gathered outside the Brooklyn Centre, Minnesota police precinct, in reaction to the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright who was fatally shot by an officer over the weekend.
Mr Wright, an unarmed father of a two-year-old, was fatally shot by officer Kimberly Potter, a veteran of 26 years of the force, on Sunday afternoon while driving with his girlfriend.
Protests erupted once again over the killing of the unarmed Black man on Monday night, about 10 miles away from where George Floyd was pinned down by former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin last year, who was charged with murdering Mr Floyd and is currently standing trial nearby to where Mr Daunte was killed.
Anticipating the demonstrations on Monday evening, governor Tim Walz imposed a 7pm curfew in the Twin Cities area as the city banned the use of chemical irritants at around 8pm.
However, just a few minutes later, videos posted to Twitter showed officers using tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, all of which were banned by the ordinance.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association toldThe Star Tribune on Monday evening that that at least one of the officers with Ms Potter at the time of the incident was a rookie that she was training in Brooklyn Centre.
Association head Brian Peters told the Tribune that Ms Potter, who has been on the force for 26 years, was training a new officer in her role as a field training officer at the time of Mr Wright’s death.
The protests came on the first day of the third week of Mr Chauvin’s trial, where he is facing murder charges for the death of Mr Floyd in Minneapolis in May last year.
The defence in Mr Chauvin’s trial is scheduled to begin presenting its case on Tuesday, with judge Peter A Cahill expecting all evidence to be finished by the end of this week.
Veteran police officer Kimberly Potter revealed as woman who shot Daunte Wright
The police officer who shot dead 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop at a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday has been identified as Kimberly Potter, a veteran of 26 years of the force.
The identity of the 48-year-old officer, who “accidentally” shot the Black man, was released on Monday night by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Ms Potter is currently on administrative leave following the fatal shooting.
The officer got her Minnesota police officer’s license in 1995 when she was 22 and was later inducted into the Brooklyn Center Police Department, serving on the force’s negotiation team.
Around 40 arrests confirmed at Minnesota protests on Monday
Around 40 people were arrested at protests in Minnesota on Monday night, in reaction to the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright who was fatally shot by an officer over the weekend.
The police confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday morning that about 40 arrests were made during protests earlier that evening, as colonel Matt Langer with the Minnesota State Patrol confirmed that the reason for them varied from rioting to violations of the curfew.
The authorities also revealed that there were five instances of burglaries in the area during the protest, as a local Dollar Tree store had its windows damaged, while smoke was seen originating from inside it.
Police broke own rules by deploying tear gas on Minnesota protesters
The police force broke its own rules by using tear gas on protesters in Minnesota on Monday evening, after the Brooklyn Centre police passed an ordinance banning it and other chemical irritants.
At around 8pm on Monday, the Brooklyn Centre police passed an ordinance banning tear gas and other chemical irritants for use on the protesters who had stayed out past the 7pm curfew issued by Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
However, just a few minutes later, videos posted to Twitter showed officers using tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, all of which were banned by the ordinance.
At a press conference at around 12:30 am on Tuesday, the police revealed that some officers deployed chemical irritants and flashbangs to disperse protesters during the demonstrations in Minnesota.
