Protestors Take to the Minnesota Streets after a Young Black Man Is Killed by Police during a Traffic Stop

Protesters continued to rally for the second night in a row near Minneapolis, where a police officer shot and killed a Black man during a traffic stop.

According to The Associated Press, authorities said this week that the officer accidentally discharged her weapon. She was reportedly trying to tase 20-year-old Daunte Wright, said Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon.

It “is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet,” Gannon said. “This appears to me from what I viewed and the officer’s reaction in distress immediately after that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright.”

Police bodycam footage shows the officer trying to arrest Wright.

“I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” The officer says in the video footage.

Wright broke free and ran to get inside his car. The officer fired a single shot, and the car sped away.

“Holy (expletive)! I shot him,” the officer says.

Wright died of the gunshot wound to his chest, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office said.

Police were trying to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant.

Activists and other community members responded to the fatal shooting with protests. Despite a curfew from the governor, protestors gathered in Brooklyn Center after nightfall.

When protestors wouldn’t leave the area after curfew, police fired gas canisters and flash-bang grenades.

“Move back!” police said.

“Don’t shoot!” the crowd said.

Minnesota State Patrol Col. Matt Langer said Tuesday that 40 people were arrested at the protest in Brooklyn Center on Monday. At a protest in Minneapolis, 13 people were arrested for curfew violations and burglaries.

The officer in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave. It is unclear if she will be fired.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting.

Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Scott Olson/Staff

Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.