Protesters confront police near Minneapolis after black man shot

Police cleared protesters from outside a police station in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on Sunday following a police shooting.

The family of a 20-year-old Minnesota man said he was shot earlier in the day by police before getting in his car and driving away. He then crashed the vehicle several blocks away, they said.

The family of Daunte Wright said he was later pronounced dead.

“I am closely monitoring the situation in Brooklyn Center. Gwen and I are praying for Daunte Wright’s family as our state mourns another life of a black man taken by law enforcement,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz tweeted about the incident.

Protesters gathered to demand answers over the incident and police fired gas into the crowd.

It comes amid the high-profile trial of Derek Chauvin, a police officer charged with murder and manslaughter over the death of George Floyd.

Floyd died after Chauvin kneeled into his neck for more than nine minutes during a police arrest in Minneapolis. Brooklyn Center is a suburb of the Minnesota city.

Floyd’s death sparked a national conversation about police violence and racial bias.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension tweeted earlier that “agents and crime scene personnel” were “en route to an officer involved shooting incident in Brooklyn Center.”

Police said in a statement that officers stopped an individual on Sunday afternoon because he had an outstanding warrant.

Police said when they tried to arrest the driver, the driver re-entered the vehicle and drove away. An officer fired at the vehicle, striking the driver. Police said the vehicle travelled several blocks before striking another vehicle.

The medical examiner is set to give more details about the death and incident surrounding it.

“The officer shooting in Brooklyn Center today is tragic. We are asking the protesters to continue to be peaceful and that peaceful protesters are not dealt with with force,” Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliot said in a statement.

Elliot imposed a curfew order until 6am in the city.