Daunte Wright’s family demanded tougher charges against the former Brooklyn Center police officer who shot him during a Thursday press conference.
“Unfortunately there is never going to be justice for us,” said Wright’s mother, Katie Wright. “The justice would bring our son home to us, knocking on the door with his big smile, coming in the house, sitting down eating dinner with us … justice isn’t even a word to me.”
Katie Wright said that her family wants “100% accountability” for what happened to her son, and the family pleaded for a conviction. (RELATED: Rep. Cori Bush Says Officer Who Shot Daunte Wright Would’ve Known The Difference Between A Gun And Taser If He ‘Wasn’t A Black Boy’)
“Can we get something … manslaughter!?” said Wright’s aunt, Naisha Wright. She held up two photos, one showing a bright yellow taser and the other showing the black service weapon. Police said that former officer Kim Potter mixed up her taser and her service weapon when she fatally shot Wright during a traffic stop.
“Y’all see the difference,” Naisha Wright continued. “This is a taser. But no, my nephew was killed with this. A Glock.”
20-year-old Daunte Wright was killed Sunday during a traffic stop. Body camera footage from the incident showed Wright breaking away from police who were trying to detain him and getting into the driver’s seat of his car. Former officer Kim Potter yelled “taser!” several times before fatally shooting Wright.
Potter resigned from her position Tuesday along with Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon. She now faces charges of second-degree manslaughter.
The shooting sparked protests and riots that have gone on for several days in Brooklyn Center. Some nights, rioters clashed with police and threw rocks and bottles at them before being met with tear gas and rubber bullets. A second layer of fencing was put up Thursday around the Brooklyn Center Police Department, but Thursday’s protest remained largely peaceful.