Even though Daunte Wright’s family is grieving his fatal shooting by a Minnesota cop, his mother said they have received death threats.
The family attorney, Thomas Bowers, said the family has been the victim of racist mail and some people even told them that they’re happy that Wright was killed, CNN reports.
“There have been some threats to the family, which is disturbing,” Bowers said.
Wright’s case was amplified because it took place during the high-profile murder case of Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Wright, who was 20, was stopped by police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on April 11, 2021, due to an expired tag. After running his information to dispatch, officers learned Wright had a misdemeanor warrant. When the cops tried to arrest Wright, he squirmed away and tried to get back into his vehicle. The female officer on the scene, Kim Potter, reportedly mistook her gun for her Taser and fatally shot Wright, killing him.
Potter resigned the next day. The next week, she was arrested on charges of second-degree manslaughter and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The shooting death incited protests in the city just 10 miles northeast of where George Floyd was murdered by ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin.
Wright’s mother said at the funeral on Thursday, April, 22, 2021, that “he was loved by so many.”
“My son had a smile that was worth a million dollars,” Wright said at the televised service, according to CNN. “When he walked in the room, he lit up the room. He was a brother, a jokester; he was loved by so many. He’s going to be so missed.”
