NFL players react to Minnesota police shooting of Daunte Wright
The fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, has spurred some notable reaction from the sports world.
Wright was shot by a police officer following a traffic stop Sunday. Brooklyn Center police say the officer who shot Wright accidentally drew her service revolver instead of a Taser when she killed him.
The event has led to protests around Minneapolis and the Brooklyn Center Police Department, and it led to the postponement of the Twins, T-wolves and Wild games Monday as demonstrations have grown. The trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged in George Floyd's death, is also ongoing in the area, which has heightened the tension.
The details of the handgun-Taser mixup drew the ire of former NFL receiver Doug Baldwin Jr.
If you don’t know the difference between a taser and a gun in your hand then you should not be a police officer.
— Doug Baldwin Jr 🌹 (@DougBaldwinJr) April 12, 2021
Other former and current NFL players also voiced their displeasure with the police's explanation of the event and another case of a Black person being killed by police.
You can accidentally forget to send an email. You can accidentally burn food or mess up an order. You can accidentally be late to a meeting. You can accidentally forget a meeting. All of that to say you can’t accidentally shoot someone with a gun thinking you had your damn taser.
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) April 12, 2021
Police officers fall into the category of professions with little to no room for error.
You cannot repeatedly announce a taser, yet *accidentally* draw and discharge your firearm. That is inexcusable, impermissible and lethal.
Justice for #DaunteWright— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) April 12, 2021
When you’re obsessed with power you have no conscience.
— Marcus Lattimore (@MarcusLattimore) April 12, 2021
What the bodycam tape showed
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon played the bodycam footage from the incident. It showed an officer attempting to handcuff Wright outside his vehicle before Wright quickly jumped back inside his car.
A female officer is then heard yelling “Taser! Taser! Taser!” prior to discharging her weapon while Wright is starting to drive away. The same officer is then heard saying, “Oh s***, I just shot him.”
The officer, who has not been identified, was placed on administrative leave.
Gannon said the incident was accidental.
“This appears to me, from what I viewed, and the officer’s reaction in distress immediately after, that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright,” Gannon said Monday.
Gannon also said, “There is nothing I can say to lessen the pain of Daunte Wright's family.”
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