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20-year-old dead after Minnesota police shoot driver attempting to leave traffic stop

Brooklyn Center Police say a person was shot and killed while officers were attempting to make a traffic stop. Family identified the man as Daunte Wright.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A driver is dead after police shot the person as they attempted to leave a traffic stop, according to Brooklyn Center police.

According to a press release from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, officers were attempting to make a traffic stop near the 6300 block of Orchard Avenue just before 2 p.m. when they said they noticed the driver had an outstanding warrant.

While police were attempting to take the suspect into custody, the driver re-entered the vehicle and one of the officers fired their weapon and hit the driver, according to the release.

Police said they attempted live-saving measures but the person eventually died at the scene.

The release said the vehicle then traveled "several blocks" before colliding with another vehicle. A female passenger in the car was transported to North Memorial Hospital with injuries related to the crash, according to the release. No injuries were reported by anyone inside the vehicle that was struck.

Family identified the person killed as 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

Credit: Wright Family via NBC
Daunte Wright

According to Daunte's mother, Katie, he called her while he was being pulled over to get insurance information for the vehicle, because she recently gave the car to him.

"A minute later, I called and his girlfriend answered, which was the passenger in the car, and said that he'd been shot and she put it on the driver's side, and he was laying there lifeless," said Katie.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is currently investigating the shooting.

According to Brooklyn Center police, officers wear body-worn cameras and it's believed that both body cameras and dash cameras were activated when the shooting occurred.

Following the shooting, a large group of community members gathered near the scene as officials continued their investigation. Just after 9:30 p.m., hundreds od demonstrators began blocking Humboldt Avenue just south of the Brooklyn Center Police Headquarters. 

Smoke was visible in the area of the police headquarters as authorities used irritants to try to disperse the crowd. Late Sunday, Gov. Tim Walz tweeted out that he was "closely monitoring" the situation.

According to Brooklyn Park police, a single shot was fired into the precinct building Sunday night. Police say nobody was injured and no arrests have been made, but the incident is under investigation.

BELOW: Live aerials of the community members on scene

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