Daunte Wright has been remembered by buddies as upbeat and gregarious, somebody who liked to play basketball and was a supportive father to his son, Daunte Jr., who was a 12 months outdated when Mr. Wright, 20, was killed by a police officer throughout a site visitors cease.
“He at all times mentioned he couldn’t wait to make his son proud,” Katie Bryant, Mr. Wright’s mom, mentioned at his funeral in April. “Junior was the enjoyment of his life, and he lived for him each single day, and now he’s not going to have the ability to see him.”
Mr. Wright’s dying got here throughout a site visitors cease in a Minneapolis suburb when an officer, Kimberly Potter, fired a single shot from her handgun, apparently mistaking it for her Taser.
Mr. Wright had been working at Taco Bell and a Well-known Footwear shoe retailer shortly earlier than he died, and was contemplating a profession in carpentry, his mom testified in court docket. She mentioned he had additionally enrolled in Summit Academy, a vocational college, about two months earlier than he was killed. He had six siblings and was dwelling at his mother and father’ dwelling together with his two youthful sisters when he was killed.
Somewhat over a month after his dying, a lawsuit towards Mr. Wright’s household raised questions on whether or not Mr. Wright was concerned in a violent dispute in Could 2019.
The lady who filed the lawsuit claimed that Mr. Wright had shot her son — a former pal of his — within the head in Minneapolis leaving him severely disabled, presumably as a result of the person had “beat up” Mr. Wright earlier that month. The lawsuit gives no direct proof tying Mr. Wright to the taking pictures, which stays unsolved. Katie Wright has known as the claims hurtful, and advised The Star Tribune: “To run with allegations like that’s fairly dangerous, whether or not they’re true or not true.”
The choose overseeing the trial of Ms. Potter has mentioned Mr. Wright’s conduct earlier than he was killed — together with the allegation that he shot the person and any earlier arrests — can solely be introduced up at trial whether it is proven that Ms. Potter knew about it on the time of the site visitors cease.
Many who knew Mr. Wright have acknowledged that he had made errors however had been attempting to enhance his life for his son.
A pal, Emajay Driver, mentioned that Mr. Wright had “liked to make individuals chuckle.” As a freshman in highschool, Mr. Wright had been voted a category clown. “There was by no means a uninteresting second,” Mr. Driver mentioned.
Delivering a eulogy on the funeral, the Rev. Al Sharpton mentioned he was advised that Minneapolis had not seen a funeral procession so giant since Prince, the musician who was born and raised in Minneapolis, died in 2016.
“You thought he was just a few child with an air freshener,” Mr. Sharpton mentioned at Mr. Wright’s funeral, referring to the air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, which prosecutors mentioned was one motive that the police stopped Mr. Wright’s automotive. Mr. Sharpton added: “He was a prince, and all of Minneapolis has stopped right this moment to honor the prince of Brooklyn Heart.”