When I read that the officer thought her gun was a taser my first reaction was disbelief; how could someone make that mistake.
However, the video seems to back up that interpretation of the event.
Regardless, at the very least the officer needs to be fired and the police department should make a payout to the family.
I’m not sure if there is anything criminal here, though I’m sure we’ll be reading some theories on that soon.
I’m not sure if this is the best case to make this point, but the over militarization of the police and an inability to effectively implement restraining suspects are ongoing problems that need to be addressed.
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Kinda a play stupid games, win stupid prizes situation. The officer is incompetent, but definitely not at fault.
I believe she was fired.
This shooting by a Minneapolis police officer in 2017 was even worse:
EXPLAINER: How does an officer use a gun instead of a Taser? - The Washington Post
HOW FREQUENTLY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
"Experts agree this is a real but very rare occurrence that probably happens less than once a year nationwide. A 2012 article published in the monthly law journal of Americans for Effective Law Enforcement documented nine cases in which officers shot suspects with handguns when they said they meant to fire stun guns dating back to 2001.
WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?
Reasons cited include officer training, the way they carry their weapons and the pressure of dangerous, chaotic situations. To avoid confusion, officers typically carry their stun guns on their weak sides — or their nondominant hand — and away from handguns that are carried on the side of their strong arms. This is the case in Brooklyn Center, where Gannon, the police chief, said officers are trained to carry a handgun on their dominant side and their stun gun on their weak side."
People will remember that the cop that killed Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale Station used the same defense: Twitter remembers Oscar Grant following fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright - REVOLT
Grant was fatally shot in 2009 by BART Officer Johannes Mehserle. The officer claimed he accidentally used his firearm instead of his taser when he shot the 22-year-old Black man in the back as he was handcuffed. Mehserle was later charged with murder, but was convicted of a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. In 2010, he was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released after only serving 11 months.
Police accidentally fired gun instead of taser, killing Daunte Wright
During a press conference on Monday (April 12), Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said the officer who fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, accidentally used her gun instead of her taser — an excuse that was eerily similar to that of Mehserle’s. People on social media were quick to point out the similarities
What? The officer has a lot of fault not knowing the difference between a stun gun and real gun. The fact an officer of the law can get the two confused is terrifying.
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If the guy hadn’t resisted, the whole thing wouldn’t have happened. Yes, it’s pathetic that the officer could make that mistake, and she should never serve again, but the fault squarely lies in the idiot that tried to jump back in his car and flee.
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Two things can be true at once: Wright was dumb to resist arrest and flee and this was obviously a “but for” cause of death; and the officer made an unforgivable mistake and was the proximate cause of his death.
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A level of force was required, I think very few would dispute this. But officers do not get to summarily execute civilians. The situation did not require deadly force IMO. A taser and a gun are two very different things. It’s terrifying that an officer can mistake the two things.
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Agreed, but there was no intent, so I’d personally place no punishable blame on the officer.
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Locals are assuaging their anger over the latest police shooting with a mostly peaceful late-night shopping spree.
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I don’t think they even try to find out what happened before they loot and riot.
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That’ll teach those police a lesson…by looting dollar tree
/s
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I’d actually give them a little more credit. When is the best time to go looting? When police resources are stretched thin and you’re less likely to get caught. Although a Dollar Tree does seem like an odd choice…not exactly a lot of bang for your looting buck.
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You’ve sure taken the focus off of the killing of Daunte Wright effectively.
The reaction to the killing certainly seems relevant, but feel free to ignore it if it makes you feel better.
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Citizens with no training to use guns. Police with no training to properly use their weapons under pressure.
Sure. “No fault” people. Absolutely
Ok. Carry on.
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There have been a lot of reactions to the killing that extend far beyond a handful of looters. But we know where conservative media will choose to put their focus. They have a job to do, after all.
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Aw c’mon! Those looters are in fact patriots. See this garbage article from Slime Magazine (err Time):
"“The founding fathers use looting as a supplement to protest. You can go back as far as the Boston Tea Party at the time the United States was a colony of England, and they saw fit to literally go and loot and destroy cargo on ships that were owned by England,” says Hall. “From the very, very beginning of our nation, looting has been a part of protests.”
“The Boston Tea Party, though not widely portrayed as looting, is an illustrative example of some of the ways in which the term is applied, says Matthew Clair, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Stanford University: as the word looting had taken on a negative tone, it wouldn’t be applied to the actions of those in power.”
Reading this garbage article and conflating the Tea Party protest with stealing goods for personal gain is disgusting.
With respect to the Tea Party, the protesters dumped the tea into the port. In fact, when one of the protestors was caught putting tea in his pockets he was stripped naked and sent home. Not only that, but the locks that were opened to get into the stores of tea, were put back afterwards! Today’s looters are nothing more than pigs and savages.
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How to Support Daunte Wright’s Family and Brooklyn Center
In the aftermath of the police killing of Daunte Wright, here are resources for donating and healing
Here are some ways to help Brooklyn Center and Wright’s family.
Bring food, water, and other necessities to Brooklyn Center High School (6500 N. Humboldt Avenue, Brooklyn Center), which will reopen for donations Tuesday morning, according to Cindy Yang, an organizer, on Facebook. The school will also serve as a center for mourning until 6 p.m. this evening, according to Facebook. Until 5 p.m. this evening, Scoreboard Pizza, at 6816 N. Humboldt Avenue, has also been accepting supplies for protester support, including eye goggles, hand sanitizer, and pop-up tents, according to Yang on Facebook.
Items requested:
- Food: Milk, baby formula, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, Gatorade, ramen, eggs, clementines, granola bars, juice boxes, boxed dinners, canned foods, hot chocolate, cereal, apple sauce, beans, tortillas
- Water
- Medical supplies: Gauze and gauze tape; ointments; first aid kits
- Masks
- Feminine hygiene products
- Diapers
- Umbrellas
- Portable chargers
Holistic Heaux says it is gathering supplies to support the mother of Wright’s son. On Facebook, the locally based wellness business said to message @HolisticHeaux on Facebook or Instagram to receive the drop-off address. They are accepting donations until 6 p.m. today and will follow up with those interested tomorrow, according to the Facebook post. Holistic Heaux also listed online channels for financially supporting Wright’s girlfriend.
Items requested:
- Diapers (size 4)
- Clothes (age 18-24 months)
- Shoes (size 6)
- Groceries
- Gift cards
Organizer Cindy Yang and Alfreda Daniels, a Brooklyn Center-based community organizer and co-founder of the Black Immigrant Collective, are also collecting monetary donations to go toward supplies: Daniels at $AlfredaDaniels on Cash App, and Yang at @cindy-yang-19 on Venmo, according to Facebook.
Daunte Wright’s family has set up a verified GoFundMe to go toward his funeral costs. “I set up this page to take the burden off my sister Katie Wright and brother in law Aubrey Wright as they are grieving the loss of there 20 year old son,” writes organizer Kelly Bryant.
At 6 p.m. on the evening of Monday, April 12, there is also a candlelight vigil for Wright at 63rd Avenue North and Kathrene Drive (in Brooklyn Center), where he was killed. While minding the 7 p.m. curfew that Walz set for metro counties Hennepin, Ramsey, and Anoka, the vigil will take place according to a Twitter post by @GeorgeFloydSQ, which requests that people bring LED candles due to unpredictable weather.
Wright’s official GoFundMe Page for funeral costs: Fundraiser by Kelly Bryant : Dauntes Funeral and future care of Daunte JR. (gofundme.com)
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