Minnesota officials declare state of emergency, compare Daunte Wright shooting to George Floyd

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Minnesota police release bodycam video in fatal Daunte Wright shooting

Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police released bodycam video of the deadly Daunte Wright shooting Monday.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Monday gave a press briefing about the shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota this weekend, declaring a state of emergency in certain counties and comparing the situation to several other recent instances where Black men have been killed by police.

Walz said that Wright will be added to the "list," which includes Philando Castile, Jamar Clark and George Floyd, all of whom were Black men killed by police in the state.

Frey described the situation as "cruel" for the community to experience "yet another officer involved shooting while we’re simultaneously adjudicating at a trial yet another officer involved killing."

"I’m not going to stand here and tell you that we all – city, county, states, nation – has made the necessary progress when we undoubtedly have not," Frey said. "We have such a long way to go."

MINNESOTA OFFICER MEANT TO FIRE TASER, NOT HANDGUN, IN DEADLY DAUNTE WRIGHT SHOOTING, POLICE CHIEF SAYS 

The apparent accidental shooting of Wright, 20, at a routine traffic stop comes as the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is responsible for the death of Floyd, is entering its third week.

"We are mourning Dante Wright and it comes at a hard time because we are still mourning George Floyd, we’re still waiting for justice for George Floyd," Carter said. "We’re still mourning Philando Castile, we're still mourning so many people in our city, in our state, in our community, in our country."

The officials announced on Monday that a state of emergency had been declared in the Minneapolis-metro area, as well as a curfew that begins at 7 p.m until 6 a.m. Affected counties include Hennepin, Ramsey and Anoka.

The governor and both mayors asked people not to extort the situation and wreak havoc in the communities that Floyd and Wright called home, which Carter said does not honor their memories.

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The officer who shot Wright was described as a senior member of the force.

Released body camera footage appears to show the officer yelling "taser," which has led the police chief to characterize the shooting as an "accidental discharge." It is believed the officer meant to grab the taser but instead grabbed her gun.

Wright drove off, crash and died. He had been stopped for having expired tags on his car and he is also said to have had an outstanding warrant.

The officer has been put on administrative leave.

Walz demanded that the state legislature look into policies and "proven remedies" that would prevent routine traffic stops from turning into losses of life.

President Biden on Monday called for peaceful protests following Wright’s death.