Joe Biden, the President of the United States of America, has said that the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man in Minnesota, by the police, does not justify violence or looting while calling for ‘peace and calm’.
Wright was fatally shot by a female police officer on Sunday afternoon, during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.
According to Brooklyn Center Police Chief, Tim Gannon, “An officer’s body camera footage released on Monday indicated that Wright got out of his car, but then got back in, adding that from the video Wright was trying to leave the scene.
“The video appeared to show an officer had shouted “Taser!” but fired her handgun accidentally, killing Daunte Wright, Gannon added.
“I believe, based on the body camera video, that the officer who shot Wright mistakenly believed she was firing a Taser and not her gun, Gannon said.
According to the victim’s mother, who had spoken to her son before the shooting, he was pulled over for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, which is illegal in Minnesota.
Police said on Monday that he was stopped for a traffic violation.
READ ALSO: Troops’ Withdrawal: Taliban may takeover Afghanistan – US intelligence warns Biden
Wright was shot about 14 miles north of where George Floyd, another black man was killed last year.
Former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, is on trial charged with second-and third-degree murder. Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Biden wrote: “Today I’m thinking about Daunte Wright and his family and the pain, anger, and trauma that Black America experiences every day. While we await a full investigation, we know what we need to do to move forward: rebuild trust and ensure accountability so no one is above the law.”
Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office about Wright’s death on Sunday, President Biden said: “I haven’t called Daunte Wright’s family, but my prayers are with the family. It’s really a tragic thing that happened.
The question is, was it an accident? Was it intentional? That remains to be determined by a full-blown investigation,” he said, describing the body camera video of the shooting as “fairly graphic.”
Biden called for any protests against Wright’s shooting to remain “peaceful.”
He said: “There is absolutely no justification, none, for looting, no justification for violence. Peaceful protests, understandable, and the fact is that, you know, we do know that the anger, pain, and trauma that exists in the Black community in that environment is real, it’s serious and it’s consequential. But it will not justify violence and/or looting. And we should listen to Daunte’s mum, who is calling for peace and calm.”
Asked whether he would deploy federal resources to help keep the peace, Biden noted that he had already done so because of Chauvin’s trial.
“There are already federal resources,” Biden said. “There will not be a lack of help and support from the federal government if the local authorities believe it’s needed.”
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
