Former President Barack Obama has broken his silence about the death of Daunte Wright, who was fatally shot by a police officer in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday, by saying that “we need to reimagine policing” in this country.
Obama Speaks Out On Shooting
“Our hearts are heavy over yet another shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, at the hands of police. It’s important to conduct a full and transparent investigation, but this is also a reminder of just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safety in this country,” Obama said in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday.
“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 continued. “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.”
Our hearts are heavy over yet another shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, at the hands of police. It’s important to conduct a full and transparent investigation, but this is also a reminder of just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safety in this country. pic.twitter.com/sgcbRjlApr
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 13, 2021
Wright, 20, was killed during a traffic stop, with Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon saying that the shooting was “an accidental discharge,” according to Fox News. Gannon told reporters that the officer who shot Wright mistakenly grabbed her service weapon and fired a single bullet.
Biden And Tlaib Speak Out
President Joe Biden addressed the shooting on Monday, saying, “I think we’ve got to wait and see what the investigation shows.”
“But in the meantime, I want to make it clear again: There is absolutely no justification, none, for looting. No justification for violence; peaceful protest is understandable,” Biden said, according to The Hill.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) responded to the shooting by saying that policing in the U.S. “intentionally racist” and “can’t be reformed.”
“It wasn’t an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence,” Tlaib tweeted. “Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can’t be reformed.”
It wasn’t an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist.
Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder.
No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can’t be reformed.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) April 12, 2021
Protests and chaos have broken out all over Minneapolis in the wake of Wright’s death. This was the same city where George Floyd was killed by police last year, prompting protests all over the nation.
This piece was written by James Samson on April 13, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
Read the original article from The Political Insider.
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