Resignations tendered after fatal shooting
BROOKLYN CENTER: A suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot a black motorist during a scuffle following a traffic stop on Monday and the police chief who called the slaying an apparent accident both resigned yesterday in the face of civil unrest.
The mayor of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, said the two quit one day after the chief told media the officer who shot
Daunte Wright appeared to have drawn her gun by mistake when reaching for her Taser.
Mayor Mike Elliott said the city council had passed a resolution calling for the dismissal of police chief Tim Gannon and the officer, Kim Potter.
‘‘I’m hoping this will bring some calm to the community,’’ Elliott said, adding he had yet to accept Potter’s resignation, leaving dismissal an option.
Elliott, who is AfricanAmerican, expressed sympathy with protesters, who he said were motivated by fear.
‘‘What I saw was young people, many of whom looked — all of them look like Daunte,’’ Elliott, who is also AfricanAmerican, said.
‘‘And I could feel their pain. I could feel their anger. I can feel their fear.’’
The move followed two nights of protests and clashes between demonstrators and police in Brooklyn Center, part of a region already on edge over the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis policeman charged with murdering George Floyd last May.
‘‘Upwards of 60’’ people were arrested on the third night of protests yesterday for offences such as rioting, police said. — Reuters