On April 11, Daunte Wright called his mom after being pulled over. He seemed a bit confused as to why it was happening, but he told her it had to deal with the placement of an air freshener in his car. He asked his mom about his insurance information, which she said she'd provide the cops if necessary.
But she didn't get to. Before she knew it, Daunte was shot. What was initially a traffic stop turned into a death scene after police officer Kimberly Potter, who had been with the department for 26 years, pulled out and shot a gun instead of using a taser.
According to Insider, Daunte had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, which may have caused cops to feel the need to escalate the situation. On the phone, Daunte's mom, Katie Wright, heard some of the conversation between her son and the police.
According to Katie, she heard an officer tell her son, "Put the phone down and get out of the car." In response, Daunte asked "Why?" Instead of responding, the officer then told Daunte that they'd "explain to you when you get out of the car."
"He was pulled over for having an expired registration on the vehicle," Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon commented, per NBC News. "When the officer went over, an item hanging from the rearview mirror was spotted." He also believes that pulling the gun was likely an accident, but that's an accident that a cop shouldn't make. To navigate through this tragedy, Daunte's parents hired on attorney Ben Crump, who also worked with George Floyd's family.
Crump believes that Daunte's death has followed a sad yet avoidable pattern that police have made. "Daunte Wright is yet another young Black man killed at the hands of those who have sworn to protect and serve all of us — not just the whitest among us," he said. "As Minneapolis and the rest of the country continue to deal with the tragic killing of George Floyd, now we must also mourn the loss of this young man and father. This level of lethal force was entirely preventable and inhumane."
Tearfully, Daunte's parents have both spoken out over what happened that day. Katie and Daunte's father, Aubrey Wright, spoke to Good Morning America about what they knew. "I lost my son, he’s never coming back," Aubrey said. "I can't accept that — a mistake, that doesn't even sound right."
"This officer has been on the force for 26 years," he continued. "I can't accept that." Katie admitted that she wants justice to be served, and for Kimberly Potter to face her punishment for taking a life. Daunte wasn't just their son; he was also a father to a young child.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott also spoke out about the tragedy. "Our hearts are aching right now, we are in pain right now, and we recognize this couldn't happen at a worse time right now," he said. He also stated that the death was "heartbreaking, unfathomable," per NBC.
"In this country, if you're black and you get pulled over by the police, you have a very much higher chance of being dead just because you're black, and just because you're encountering police," he said. "That is a fact we have to all wrestle with. We've seen this far too many times where a young black man or woman is pulled over by police or encounters police and they end up dead. People protesting are asking when will this stop."
While Daunte did have charges against him, they weren't severe. One was carrying a pistol without a permit. Another was a misdemeanor charge for "fleeing a peace officer by a means other than a motor vehicle." While both warranted Daunte to be examined further, he shouldn't have been killed for it.
Daunte had a full life ahead of him. He also had two parents who are heartbroken that one small incident took their son away forever. This could have been handled a variety of different ways that would have still allowed Daunte to be in his young child's life. It's upsetting to know that Daunte may have been unfairly profiled as being a big threat when he was a young adult with minor misdemeanors.
Kimberly Potter reportedly yelled "Taser!" while shooting the gun. Even if it's possible that it was an honest mistake, it seems very unlikely. Not only was she a veteran of her job, but she was also reportedly training others. So, out of all of the officers who should have been able to tell a gun from a taser, Potter would be on top of that list.
Since Daunte's death, both Potter and Chief Gannon have resigned. The union that represents Potter has, according to The New York Times, declined to comment on what happened that day. Those seeking to know more about Potter should know that she first became a licensed police officer in 1995, and also once served as president of the police union.
Potter reportedly sent a letter announcing her retirement, stating she "loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department and my fellow officers if I resign immediately." Still, many people feel as if this isn't enough. Even if it was an accident, she still took a life.
Accountability needs to happen. Despite not having a clean record, Daunte didn't kill anyone. But he was treated as if he did. So many other Black Americans have also suffered the worst punishment for misdemeanors that white Americans would have merely gotten citations for. It's unfortunate to know that these young Black individuals legitimately need to fear for their lives if they get pulled over for something like an air freshener.
Just as Daunte's father stated, there's no coming back from this. Daunte was wrongfully killed when the situation started getting tense. He had a right to know why he was arrested, and a right to know what was going on. If these cops treated him like a person, he'd still be here today.
