Less than 20 miles from where George Floyd died in Minneapolis, another unarmed Black man was killed by a police officer. Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old father, was pulled over in his car for a traffic violation in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and was shot earlier this past weekend. Now, his mother is speaking out about the death of her son and the heartbreak it has caused.
Katie Wright, the victim’s mother, recently spoke out about the violent clashes between protestors and police following her son’s death. She calls for peace.
Daunte Wright’s Mother Calls for Peace Following Protests That Erupted After the Death of Her 20-Year-Old Son.
The mother recalled the moments leading up to her son’s untimely death, she explained that she had received a call from her son after he was pulled over by police.
“Mom, I’m getting pulled over,” Wright said her son told her, “[and] they’re asking about insurance.” Before Katie could reply, she heard the situation escalating quickly.
“I just want people to know that if you get pulled over, make sure you put your hands up and don’t make any sudden moves, and don’t have air fresheners in your car because that’s why he got pulled over,” Wright shared with a CBS affiliate.
“And he was only 20 years old and he didn’t deserve to be shot and killed like this,” Wright stated. “And I don’t want all of this, all of this. I just want my baby home. That’s all I want is I want him to be home. I don’t want everybody out here chanting and screaming, yelling, I just want him home, that’s it.”
Wright had been reportedly pulled over for having air fresheners hanging from his car’s mirror, which is considered a crime in Minnesota.
Aubrey Wright, Daunte’s father, also spoke to the media, telling the Washington Post that he is still in shock after his son’s death. He explained that his son had just gotten the car that he would die inside and that he had asked his mother for money to take it to a car wash. Aubrey said he was on his way to the car wash when he was pulled over by police.
Here’s more from the mother: pic.twitter.com/L1rtYSiMUP
— Kim Hyatt (@kimvhyatt) April 11, 2021
As soon as Aubrey Wright was notified of the shooting, he sped to the scene and arrived just 10 minutes later to see his son’s 2011 Buick LaCrosse damaged and his son’s body laying on the sidewalk, covered in a white sheet, he told the WP.
“I know my son,” Aubrey stated. “He was scared. He still [had] the mind of a 17-year-old because we babied him. If he was resisting an arrest, you could Tase him. I don’t understand it.”
The proud father said his son was a great child with a 2-year-old son of his own. He explained that his son was unable to finish high school due to a learning disability but that he had been working very hard at multiple jobs to provide for his toddler.
Aubrey also said that his son had plans to get his GED before his life was taken.
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Tense scene at the intersection of 63rd and Lee Ave N in Brooklyn Center. A crowd is shouting at the press and police saying that an officer didn’t have to kill a man. BCA is here investigating. pic.twitter.com/laVrMLsF8v
— Kim Hyatt (@kimvhyatt) April 11, 2021
“He was a great kid,” Aubrey shared. “He was a normal kid. He was never in serious trouble. He enjoyed spending time with his 2-year-old son. He loved his son.”
What a tragic loss for this family who are trying to mourn the death of their young son. We hope they someday receive the justice they so desperately deserve.