As tensions and protests continue to flare in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, over the fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, local churches are calling for prayers and calm while seeking to help the community process its grief.
“I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Daunte Wright for the loss of their son, father, brother and friend. I have also been praying for his eternal repose, for his family and for all those who loved him. Daunte was created by God in his image and likeness and for a ‘definite purpose,’ as St. John Henry Newman wrote, and we grieve the loss of his young life,” Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in a statement Monday.
Wright, was shot during a traffic stop by veteran police officer, Kim Potter, 48. Police say the killing was accidental. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believed Potter mistook her firearm for her Taser when she shot Wright as he resisted arrest on Sunday. Body-camera footage of the incident released Monday shows Potter shouted “Taser” before firing.
“I also am praying for the Brooklyn Center Police officer involved in the shooting, and for her family and friends. I suspect that they are grieving in a different way,” Hebda added in his statement.
“While early indications point toward the shooting being accidental, I encourage allowing investigators from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to complete a thorough investigation before coming to any personal judgments as to what occurred,” he cautioned. “I hope that we as a community might be able to pause and pray, particularly during this time of already heightened tension due to the Chauvin trial. I am encouraged and inspired by the pleas for peace that have continued to come from the family of George Floyd.”
Protests have been ongoing in Brooklyn Center over the shooting since Sunday and have attracted national attention as the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin takes place approximately 11 miles away in Minneapolis for the death of George Floyd last summer.
Other faith leaders including Renee Franzen, lead pastor of Brookdale Covenant Church, told CBS Minnesota that: “We’re scrambling, and praying, and asking God what would you have us do?” Continue Reading on Christian Posts
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