what triggered the shooting of Daunte Wright — Daunte Wright: What Triggered the Shooting

On Sunday, the 11th of April, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed in the suburbs of Minneapolis. This happened despite the ongoing case on the George Floyd shooting. The question, however, on everyone's mind is; What triggered the shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright? According to the police, the shooting of Daunte Wright occurred because the officer at the scene mistook her pistol for a Taser gun.

What Triggered The Shooting of Daunte Wright

When Daunte's mother was questioned, she made it known that her son had called her on the phone when he was pulled over. She said he had told him that he was pulled over because he had an air freshener hanging on his rearview mirror. Apparently, the act is prohibited in Minnesota. But the following day, it was reported that there had been an issue with Daunte's registration tag.

However, the viral video of the incident showed the police officer repeatedly shouting the word “Taser” before releasing fire and then apparently realizing that it wasn't a Taser gun in her hand but a handgun.
Apparently, according to the police department, after Daunte Wright was pulled over, he struggled with the police officer who had tried to forcefully pull him out of his car. The officer had repeatedly yelled out “Taser”, then fired a single shot. It was later revealed by the police department that she had mistakenly pulled out a handgun instead of a Taser gun.

Daunte Wright didn't die at once but sped off in his car before he lost consciousness and crashed some distance away. The officer who fired the gun was later identified as Kim Potter who had been in service of the Brooklyn Center police force for 26 years. It was later made known that officer Kim resigned along with the chief of police of the city. She was charged with second degree manslaughter.

Aftermath of Daunte Wright's death

Incensed by the turn of events which was extremely similar to the George Floyd shooting, hundreds of people took to the streets in protests soon afterward at Brooklyn Center's police station. The protest soon turned violent as rocks were thrown at the police officers that were gathered. The police then retaliated by releasing tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets.

Although investigations are still ongoing, the facts of the incident are still not fully confirmed. The department of police says that the discharge was an accident, but whether that is true is still largely unknown.

According to experts, it is very possible to mistake weapons and preventing such errors can only be achieved through constant practice. Other experts say that although a Taser and a gun are worn in different positions if they are worn in a way that the dominant hand can easily have access to them, mistakes could still happen especially when under pressure. However, whether the shooting of Daunte Wright was an accident or not can only be left to the law to decide.

Black lives matter movement

The United States is a nation faced with a great amount of racial discrimination to a terrifying degree. The nation has been faced with multiple cases of racial discrimination on so many levels. In May last year, the event of the “George Floyd shooting” incensed the masses. People took to the streets by the thousands. The protest began all around the world as the “Black Lives Matter” movement was facilitated to end racial discrimination.

The movement brought many changes to American society. Racial discrimination was tempered down to a certain degree. Policing policies have also been reviewed and changed. But the main question raging in the mind of many Black Americans is: have these changes reduced the number of Black lives lost to the law enforcement agents? With the peculiar circumstances that led to the death of Daunte Wright, the answer in the eyes of many Americans seems to be no!