Violent protests broke out in Brooklyn Center after a 20-year old black man, Daunte Wright, was shot dead by police in Plymouth on Sunday. Prior to his death, the victim had informed his mother that he was pulled over for hanging an air freshner from the rearview mirror of his car.
Asking for peace, Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott tweeted, "The officer shooting in Brooklyn Center today is tragic. We are asking the protesters to continue to be peaceful and that peaceful protesters are not dealt with with force," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz too said that he was "closely monitoring the situation in Brooklyn Center."
Wright Called His Mother Before Being Shot
In a Facebook live video, a woman who identified herself as Wright's mother, Katie Wright, said that he was travelling with his girlfriend when the incident took place.
"He called me at about 1:40, said he was getting pulled over by the police. All he did was have air fresheners in the car and they told him to get out of the car," Katie said adding that during the call, she heard scuffling and then someone saying "Daunte, don't run" before the phone call ended.
Claiming that when she called again Wright's girlfriend answered the phone. "He got out of the car, and his girlfriend said they shot him," she said. "He got back in the car, and he drove away and crashed and now he's dead on the ground since 1:47. ... Nobody will tell us anything. Nobody will talk to us. ... I said please take my son off the ground," said the weeping mother.
Bystander Reveals Cops Performed CPR on Victim
According to The Star Tribune, Carolyn Hanson, a woman who lives near the crash site, said that she saw officers pull a man out of a car and perform CPR. "A passenger who got out of the vehicle was covered in blood," she added.
In a statement released after the fatal shooting, the Brooklyn Center Police Department claimed that Wright was pulled over by the officers during a traffic stop as he had an outstanding warrant against him.
It claimed that when the cops tried to arrest the driver, he re-entered the vehicle and drove away. An officer fired at the vehicle, striking the driver. Police said the vehicle travelled several blocks before hitting another vehicle.
Conspiracy Surrounding Cop Who Shot Wright Surfaces
Even though the details of the cop who fired shot at the victim has not been revealed, conspiracy theories surrounding the same has already started emerging on the social media.
A post made on Facebook suggested that the cop who shot Wright was a female. "Trigger Warning: BREAKING NEWS: It is being reported that the cop who killed Daunte Wright killed herself tonight. This has not yet been verified. #DaunteWright," read the post made by a FB user Marjaan Sirdar.
"We were not able to verify this information. Someone said it over a bullhorn, but when we asked the Mayor, he was not aware that an officer had committed suicide," read a comment on the post.
Another post claimed that the cop was a rookie who mistakenly took out the gun while trying to reach out for taser before shooting Wright.
