Protesters clash with police over fatal shooting of 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright in Minnesota

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police overnight following the killing of another Black man at the hands of law enforcement in Minnesota, prompting authorities to activate the National Guard and impose a citywide curfew through Monday morning.

The man, identified as 20-year-old Daunte Wright, died Sunday following a traffic stop and crash in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center — about 10 miles from the Hennepin County courthouse, where the trial of accused George Floyd killer Derek Chauvin is taking place.

Brooklyn Center police said officers stopped the driver around 2 p.m. after learning he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. As cops tried to take him into custody, Wright ran back to his car and drove away, according to police. One of the officers fired at the vehicle, striking the man, but Wright still drove several blocks before crashing into another car, authorities said.

Hours after his death, protests broke out near the city’s police department, with the crowd calling for transparency and chanting, “No justice, no peace,” “Hands up, don’t shoot” and other slogans against police brutality and racial injustice, according to videos shared on social media.

A man is injured as protesters clash with police in front of the Brooklyn Center Police station on Sunday, April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minn. (Christian Monterrosa/)

But some of the demonstrators resorted to violence, throwing rocks and other objects at the police station, said Commissioner John Harrington, of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. There were also reports of shots fired and about 20 businesses broken into late Sunday night, Harrington told reporters in an overnight news conference.

One of the gunshots hit the front door of the police building, but no one was injured, local news outlet KARE reported. Break-ins and looting were also reported in parts of Minneapolis, according to the station.

Police in Brooklyn Center responded by firing multiple rounds of tear gas and what appeared to be flash bang grenades into the crowd. A short time later, Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott announced a curfew until 6 a.m. Most of the protesters reportedly went home after that and there were no immediate reports of injuries.

In a video statement posted on Twitter around 2 a.m., Elliott asked the community to remain peaceful as the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension launches an investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

“Our entire community is filled with grief following today’s officer-involved shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old young man, and our hearts are with his family and with all those in our community impacted by this tragedy,” the mayor said.

“While we await additional information from the BCA, who is leading the investigation, we continue to ask that members of our community gathering do so peacefully, amid our calls for transparency and accountability,” he added.

Wright’s mother spoke to the crowd during the protest, saying her son had called her after getting pulled over and that she heard officers telling him to get out.

“He was only 20 years old and he didn’t deserve to be shot and killed like this,” Wright told the group, according to CBS affiliate WCCO. “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’s girlfriend was a passenger in the car and sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash.

Sunday’s shooting and protests come roughly halfway through Chauvin’s murder trial in the May 25 arrest that shocked the country and fueled a movement against systemic racism.

Minnesota officials had already deployed numerous officers and imposed strict security measures around the Minneapolis courthouse as they expect protests during and after the trial.

Authorities respond to a scene in front of the Brooklyn Center Police station on Sunday, April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minn. (Christian Monterrosa/)

“You will see a robust assortment of National Guard, state and local police departments working together over the next two or three days as we, once again, prepare for the trial and prepare for any further civil unrest that may come from the Brooklyn Center officer-involved shooting today,” Harrington said.

Gov. Tim Walz said he was “closely monitoring the situation.”

“Gwen and I are praying for Daunte Wright’s family as our state mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement,” he said in a tweet.

The Brooklyn Center school district canceled in-person classes Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”

“I haven’t entirely processed the tragedy that took place in our community and I’m prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of our students, families, staff members and community members,” Superintendent Carly Baker said in a statement.