Congressman reacts to CNN calling Minneapolis riots a protest: 'Get the story right'

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Twin Cities under state of emergency after deadly police shooting

FOX News' Mike Tobin reports from Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where a curfew has been put in place

U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, condemned CNN for avoiding a particular noun to describe the scene in Minneapolis on Sunday night.

Riots erupted in the city after a police-involved killing of 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright, resulting in the looting of at least 20 businesses. In its coverage of the unrest, CNN referred to it as a "protest" and to rioters as "protesters." 

"What happened last night in Minneapolis was not a protest -- it was a riot," he tweeted. "Get the story right or get out of the news business."

The Claremont Institute's Nick Short sarcastically asked why CNN would suddenly change its ways.

Police arrested Wright at a traffic stop near Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, on Sunday afternoon. When he resisted arrest, he was shot by a police officer, crashed his car and died. 

Brooklyn Center police Chief Tim Gannon said the officer who shot Wright thought she was using her stun gun when she discharged her firearm. Bodycam footage showed the officer pointing her gun at Wright and saying, "Taser," before shooting. After Wright drove away, she yelled an obscenity and said, "I just shot him" to her fellow officers.

The National Guard had to be deployed after outrage over the shooting led to widespread unrest and looting.

Journalist Andy Ngo, known for his coverage of civic unrest, documented some of the carnage on Twitter, which continued into Monday night.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune also detailed some of the damage.

"Officers in riot gear stood sentinel at the city's police station that was tagged with anti-police graffiti and where squad cars were damaged," the outlet reported. "The National Guard blocked the entrance to the Shingle Creek Crossing shopping plaza where several retailers had windows busted out and merchandise strewn on the floor. Flip-flops and bottles of fruity drinks littered the Walmart parking lot where a man who gave his name as Thomas was part of a small army of store employees picking up trash and debris."

The report noted alarms blared at a nearby Verizon store where the front window was broken and a TV was ripped off the wall. 

PORTLAND POLICE DECLARE RIOT AFTER VIGIL FOR DAUNTE WRIGHT SHOOTING

Outlets such as CNN, the Daily Beast, and the Washington Post all avoided the word "riot" in their initial coverage. The Washington Post chose an image of peaceful protesters with their hands across their chests standing in front of an armed officer to accompany their initial report on Sunday's altercations.

CNN dedicated few lines to the damaged businesses.

On Monday night, CNN began its follow-up report by highlighting the police's use of force: "Police fired tear gas and stun grenades Monday night as a crowd gathered to protest the killing of a Black man by a police officer in a Minneapolis suburb."

The trend continued in cable news coverage Monday night. Despite showing clear signs of violence unfolding in Minneapolis, CNN's chyron read, "New Protests After Police Shooting of Daunte Wright," while MSNBC's message read, "Renewed Protests After Police Killing of Black Man."

REPORTERS SCOLD MINNESOTA POLICE CHIEF FOR DESCRIBING UNREST AFTER DAUNTE WRIGHT SHOOTING AS 'RIOT'

Last year, as riots erupted over the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, CNN’s Chris Cuomo asked viewers, "Who said protests have to be peaceful?" MSNBC’s Ali Veshi memorably called the Minneapolis protests "mostly peaceful," while reporting in front a burning building.

The violence in Minneapolis coincides with the ongoing trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. Chauvin was captured on video pressing his knee to Floyd's neck against the ground for more than eight minutes last summer, which sparked riots across the country.

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The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is reportedly conducting an independent investigation into Sunday's shooting.