Black man shot dead by police in Minneapolis, protests erupt

A Black man was shot dead in US city of Minneapolis, in a fresh incident which again sparked protests. The incident took place on Sunday, 16 kilomtres from where George Floyd was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis last May.

The police officer shot the Black man after stopping his vehicle for a traffic violation. He was identified by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

Wright's mother, Katie, told reporters that she received a call from her son telling her that police had pulled him over for having air fresheners dangling from his rear-view mirror, illegal in Minnesota.

Katie Wright said she could hear scuffling and policemen telling her son 'Daunte, don't run'. The call got disconnected, and when Katie dialed her soné number again, she got to know from his girlfriend that he was now dead in the driver's seat.

The police, meanwhile, said Wright had an outstanding arrest warrant. When the cops on duty tried to arrest him, he ran away in his car, the police said. One officer, who has not been identified, shot the man but he drove several blocks before striking another vehicle and dying at the scene, the police statement said.

Anti-police protesters have already spent recent days rallying in Minneapolis as the trial of Derek Chauvin, a white former city policeman, enters the third week. Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter for kneeling on the neck of Floyd, a Black man in handcuffs.