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Public Viewing Held For Daunte Wright In Minneapolis

Source: Scott Olson / Getty


UPDATED: 4:00 p.m. ET

The funeral for Daunte Wright, one of the most recent victims of preventable police violence against unarmed Black people, was held Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis.

The service at Shiloh Temple International Ministries featured emotional addresses from members of Wright’s family as well as civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered a moving eulogy.

The homegoing service came one day after a public viewing attracted hundreds of mourners at a church located not too far from the location in Brooklyn Center where Wright, a 20-year-old father of one, was gunned down following a traffic stop predicated on the decidedly nonviolent offenses of driving with expired tags and having too many air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.

The funeral united the family members of past victims of police violence, including relatives of George Floyd, Philando Castile, Oscar Grant and Jamar Clark. One portion of the funeral included a moving trumpet performance by jazz musician Keyon Harrold Sr., whose son was falsely accused of stealing an iPhone late last year in New York City in a viral moment that luckily did not end in any violence.

Wright’s shooting on April 11 came ahead of closing arguments in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who on Tuesday was found guilty of murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis last year. It was soon reported that Kim Potter, the officer who killed Wright, claims she mistook her gun for the Taser she said she meant to deploy instead of lethal force with her service weapon.

The combination of the anxiety ahead of the jury deliberating, the news of yet another unarmed Black man being killed by a police officer in Minnesota and a police officer’s admitted, if not inexplicable, deadly incompetence helped renew ongoing protests in the area as well as around the country demanding justice and accountability.

Wright’s aunt scoffed during a press conference last week at the second-degree manslaughter charges against Potter, who would face up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine if found guilty.

“The highest accountability? I know the highest is going to be being judged by God. But can we get a conviction? Can we get something? Manslaughter!” Naisha Wright exclaimed while holding up side-by-side photos of a gun and a Taser.

Thursday’s funeral should hopefully allow Wright’s family to have some semblance of closure as their legal journey for justice just gets underway.

The funeral is scheduled to begin at 12 noon CT/1 p.m. ET and will be live-streamed online.

A video of the funeral is embedded below followed by photos and videos from Wright’s funeral as well as from the public viewing one day earlier.

Rest In Peace: Daunte Wright Is Laid To Rest After Moving Funeral In Minneapolis  was originally published on newsone.com

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8. Rev. Al Sharpton arrives

Rev. Al Sharpton arrives Source:Getty

9. Courteney Ross, George Floyd’s girlfriend, arrives

Courteney Ross, George Floyd's girlfriend, arrives Source:Getty

10. Katie Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, arrives

Katie Wright, Daunte Wright's mother, arrives Source:Getty

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A person places a poster at a memorial for Daunte Wright on the day of his funeral in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

12. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attends funeral

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attends funeral Source:Getty

13. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison attends funeral

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison attends funeral Source:Getty

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15. Rev. Al Sharpton and Daunte Wright’s brother Damik Bryant arrive

Rev. Al Sharpton and Daunte Wright's brother Damik Bryant arrive Source:Getty

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Katie Wright (C), the mother of Daunte Wright, arrives with her family and Rev. Al Sharpton (R) during a wake for Wright at Shiloh Temple International Ministries church on April 21 in Minneapolis.

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A mourner stands before the casket of Daunte Wright during a wake at Shiloh Temple International Ministries church.

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People attend a wake for Daunte Wright at Shiloh Temple International Ministries church.

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Bishop Richard D. Howell Jr. leads a prayer during a wake for Daunte Wright at Shiloh Temple International Ministries church.

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A member of the Minnesota Freedom Fighters stands guard outside of Shiloh Temple International Ministries during the public viewing of Daunte Wright.

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A family member consoles Daunte Wright’s mother Katie Wright during the public viewing of her son’s open casket at Shiloh Temple International Ministries.

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Attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton pay their respects during Daunte Wright’s public viewing.

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Family and friends of Daunte Wright mourn during the public viewing of his open casket.

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Family and friends of Daunte Wright mourn during the public viewing of his open casket.

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Family and friends of Daunte Wright mourn during the public viewing of his open casket.

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Daunte Wright’s brother A-jay Wright (R) and Rev. Al Sharpton (L) pay their respects during the public viewing.

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Daunte Wright’s brother Damik Wright cries during the public viewing of his brother’s open casket.

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Rev. Jesse Jackson (second from right) pays his respects during Daunte Wright’s public viewing.