The fatal shooting of an African American man when police attempted to detain him in the city of Brooklyn Center in the US state of Minnesota has sparked clashes between hundreds of protesters and police officers, media reported.
The incident has flared up tensions between locals and police officers as it came in the midst of the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, charged with the murder of George Floyd in the state’s major city of Minneapolis last May. Chauvin is the officer who put his knee on Floyd’s neck during the arrest of the African American man.
According to the Brooklyn Center police, the incident took place at about 2 p.m. local time (19:00 GMT) on Sunday when officers stopped a vehicle over an alleged traffic violation.
“Officers determined that the driver of the vehicle had an outstanding warrant. At one point as officers were attempting to take the driver into custody, the driver re-entered the vehicle. One officer discharged their firearm, striking the driver. The vehicle traveled several blocks before striking another vehicle,” the police department said in a press release late on Sunday.
The driver died at the scene despite medical assistance. The victim was identified as 20-year-old Daunte Wright. The name of a police officer who shot Wright has not been established yet.
Within hours following the incident, several hundreds of people gathered at the scene in the northern Minneapolis suburb, the protesters later walked to the Brooklyn Center police headquarters, where they clashed with police officers.
To disperse the crown, the police deployed tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets as protesters were chanting Wright’s name and climbed atop the police headquarters sign.
