Biden calls for probe into Minnesota police shooting, warns against 'looting'

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday called for protests over the fatal police shooting of a 20-year-old Black man in Minnesota to be "peaceful" and said a "full-blown investigation" is needed into the incident. A video Biden described as "fairly graphic" showed the man, Daunte Wright, being shot on Sunday in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, just miles away from where the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former white Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, is taking place.


Reuters | Updated: 13-04-2021 01:00 IST | Created: 13-04-2021 01:00 IST
Biden calls for probe into Minnesota police shooting, warns against 'looting'

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday called for protests over the fatal police shooting of a 20-year-old Black man in Minnesota to be "peaceful" and said a "full-blown investigation" is needed into the incident.

A video Biden described as "fairly graphic" showed the man, Daunte Wright, being shot on Sunday in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, just miles away from where the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former white Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, is taking place. "It is really a tragic thing that happened, but I think we've got to wait and see what the investigation shows," Biden told reporters at the White House.

"In the meantime, I want to make it clear again: There is absolutely no justification - none - for looting, no justification for violence. Peaceful protests - understandable." Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said on Monday that the shooting appeared to be an "accidental discharge" by an officer who drew her gun instead of her Taser during a struggle following a traffic stop.

Biden said an investigation would be needed to establish that fact. He told reporters he had not spoken with Wright's family but extended his prayers to them and said he understood anger, pain and trauma in the Black community over repeated incidents of police killings. Federal resources are in the area to help maintain peace and calm, Biden added.

The incident came as the Biden administration backed away from a campaign pledge to swiftly create a U.S. police oversight commission after a senior aide said they concluded that legislation would better address officers using excessive force.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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