Though they never met, Daunte Wright and George Floyd have a lot in common. Both were fathers who died of police encounters. Both of them happened to be in the Minneapolis area. On Tuesday, it was reported that the two men had a personal connection: Floyd's girlfriend Courteney Ross was a former teacher of Wright's.
Daunte Wright and George Floyd: Are they related?
Activists Holds Rally In Atlanta Against Police Violence, Calling For Justice For Daunte Wright ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 14: Demonstrators march to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights while protesting the shooting death of Daunte Wright on April 14, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Wright, a Black man who was stopped in Minnesota on Sunday, reportedly for an expired registration, was shot and killed by an officer who police say mistook her service revolver for a Taser.
Naisha Wright, Daunte's aunt, announced the connection at a press conference on Tuesday with Floyd's family and attorney Ben Crump. Naisha Wright then pointed to her T-shirt, which featured George Floyd's image wearing a mask over his mouth with the words "I can't breathe" printed on it.
Officer Kim Potter of the Minneapolis Police Department shot and killed Daunte Wright on Sunday, during Derek Chauvin's trial. Chauvin was the officer who kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes last summer. During a traffic arrest, Potter, a 26-year police officer, killed 20-year-old Wright. According to Police Chief Tim Gannon, she reportedly intended to use her Taser instead of her handgun.
Both Potter and Gannon have since resigned from their jobs, CBS News via Yahoo reported. On Tuesday afternoon, Ross clarified her link to Wright to the Washington Post, telling the publication that Wright was a student at Edison High School at the time.
She said one of the last times she saw him was in the summer of 2019 while driving around Brooklyn Center with George Floyd. They saw him being confronted by cops. Floyd was killed by police a year after this incident, just miles from where his and Wright's paths collided. Wright's death happened less than a year later.
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Daunte Wright had multiple criminal charges
When Daunte Wright was pulled over and fatally shot by officers, he had several criminal charges on his record, as per Washington Examiner. Wright, a 20-year-old male, has previously been charged with first-degree armed assault, running from police, and using a handgun without a permit. Wright had an arrest warrant out for him at the time of his deadly shooting after failing to appear in court on charges of escaping and possessing a weapon.
According to court records, the aggravated robbery charge resulted from a 2019 incident. Wright and an associate went to a party and were asked to leave by two women who rented the apartment. However, when the two men said they didn't have a car, the women agreed to let them spend the night.
Before leaving for work the following day, one of the women left the apartment to get $820 in cash to pay the other for her rent share. As Wright and his acquaintance waited for their ride, the other woman remained behind. After blocking the entrance, the woman claims that Wright took out a handgun "with silver trim out of either his right waistband or his right coat pocket" and demanded $820 while pointing the gun at her.
After being convicted, Wright was released on $100,000 bail with the conditions that he would not touch the victim or witnesses, that he would not consume drugs or drink, and that he would not carry a weapon. Wright's bail was suspended in July after discovering a handgun possession and unable to communicate with his probation officer. When Wright was pulled over with an invalid license on Sunday, the investigation was still pending.
Minneapolis Chief: George Floyd had 'violent criminal history'
George Floyd's "violent criminal past" must be recalled, and the protests over his death are the work of a "terrorism movement." In June 2020, the New York Post reported that the Police union chief Bob Kroll said, "What isn't being told is George Floyd's abusive criminal past. The media will not air this."
Floyd was sentenced to five years in prison in 2009 for an assault and robbery two years before. He also had previously been accused of crimes ranging from theft with a handgun to drug possession, as per Daily Mail.
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