Police arrested 40 rioters in Brooklyn Center, Minn., during the second night of unrest after a police shooting that left one person dead.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department on Monday afternoon to demonstrate against the shooting. Many remained despite a curfew imposed by Governor Tim Walz, clashing with police for several hours after sunset.
Footage by Star Tribune reporter Liz Sawyer showed police engaging with rioters outside the police station:
Cacophony of tear gas and flash bangs sends hundreds of protesters running from the precinct’s main entrance. pic.twitter.com/i3rWN3yS0M
— Liz Sawyer (@ByLizSawyer) April 13, 2021
Very tense. Tons of breaking glass. Protesters have erected some makeshift barriers in the street with debris. pic.twitter.com/vZDv2ZvbhA
— Liz Sawyer (@ByLizSawyer) April 13, 2021
Additionally, a local Dollar Tree store was looted:
Smoke is billowing out of the Dollar Tree. Bystanders are yelling “Is there anybody in there? Get out of there.” This is going to engulf in minutes. @StarTribune pic.twitter.com/6cCist4dtI
— Liz Sawyer (@ByLizSawyer) April 13, 2021
Sporadic looting was reported in nearby Minneapolis. That city’s police force arrested 13 rioters, mainly for looting or breaking curfew.
Booker Hodges, an assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, thanked those protested peacefully earlier in the day and lamented the continued rioting.
“For months we’ve been saying riotous behavior is just not going to be tolerated, and unfortunately tonight, that is some of the things we encountered,” Hodges said at an early morning press conference.
Rioting first started on Sunday night after a Brooklyn Center officer shot and killed a suspect during a traffic stop. Police Chief Tim Gannon said the officer intended to use a taser but mistakenly fired her department-issued handgun.
The victim was identified by his family as Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old African American resident of Brooklyn City. The shooting occurred during the trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, accused of killing city resident George Floyd in an incident that sparked massive riots and protests across the U.S.
Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, lamented her son’s death during a mid-day vigil at the site of his killing.
“I just need everyone to know that he was my life. He was my son,” Wright said. “And I can never get that back. Because of a mistake? Because of an accident?”
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