Story at a glance
- In a statement Tuesday, former President Obama said the U.S. needs to “reimagine” how law enforcement works.
- “Michelle and I grieve alongside the Wright family for their loss. We empathize with the pain that Black mothers, fathers, and children are feeling after yet another senseless tragedy,” he said.
- The officer who shot Wright said she intended to deploy her Taser when she instead fired her service weapon.
Former President Obama is weighing in on the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright.
Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by a police officer Sunday during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minn., not far from Minneapolis where the trial of Derek Chauvin is taking place. Chauvin is the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd last year. Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest, even while Floyd called out that he couldn’t breathe.
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The officer who shot Wright said she intended to deploy her Taser when she instead fired her service weapon.
In a statement Tuesday, Obama said the U.S. needs to “reimagine” how law enforcement works.
“The fact that this could happen even as the city of Minneapolis is going through the trial of Derek Chauvin and reliving the heart-wrenching murder of George Floyd indicates not just how important it is to conduct a full and transparent investigation, but also just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safey in this country,” he said.
“Michelle and I grieve alongside the Wright family for their loss. We empathize with the pain that Black mothers, fathers, and children are feeling after yet another senseless tragedy. And we will continue to work with all fair-minded Americans to confront historical inequities and bring about nationwide changes that are so long overdue,” Obama said.
Kim Potter, the officer who shot Wright, resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department Tuesday. The department’s police chief Tim Gannon also stepped down.
The shooting sparked two days of protests in Minnesota and renewed calls for police reform.
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