On Monday, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) called for "no more policing" after a 20-year-old Black man named Daunte Wright was fatally shot by a Minnesota police officer on Sunday.
According to The Daily Wire, Wright was pulled over for expired license plate tags. Shortly after obtaining his I.D., the officers realized that he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest because of a weapon's charge and running from police.
As police sought to handcuff Wright, he immediately broke free and got back into his car when a policewoman shot him, despite reportedly thinking she was using a taser.
Wright sped off and crashed several streets away, where he died.
During a news conference on Monday, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Gannon explained that the officer mistook the gun for a taser.
"It is my belief the officer meant to deploy their Taser but shot him with a single bullet," he explained, adding that, "There's nothing I can say to lessen the pain."
On Monday, Tlaib posted a tweet arguing that the shooting was intentional.
"It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist," she wrote. "Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government-funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed."
It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) April 12, 2021
Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder.
No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) expressed similar sentiments, asserting that police cannot be reformed.
"From slave patrols to traffic stops. We can't reform this", tweeted Pressley.
From slave patrols to traffic stops. We can’t reform this. https://t.co/Z4JV3iWUKF
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) April 12, 2021
Wright's death sparked violent protests in which local officials, including in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, enforced overnight curfews, BBC News reported. Tensions have already been high in Minneapolis as the trial of Derek Chauvin, the officer accused of killing George Floyd last year, continues.
Meanwhile, the policewoman who shot Wright was placed on administrative leave. An investigation behind the incident is currently underway.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Alex Wroblewski/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
