'Rally For Justice:' Bergen Groups Honoring Daunte Wright

HACKENSACK, NJ — The Bergen County NAACP will honor Daunte Wright this weekend during a "rally against the unjust killing of Black people in America," the organization announced. A separate demonstration is scheduled for Sunday in Teaneck.

Wright, a 20-year-old Black man from the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, was shot by a police officer last Sunday. He died of a gunshot wound and the death was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.

Kim Potter, the officer who shot Wright, resigned after body camera footage from the scene appeared to indicate that she confused her gun for a taser. She has since been charged with second-degree manslaughter, and released from jail on a $100,000 bond.

A Patch report shared the moments that led to the shooting:

At 2:02 p.m., Potter said "Taser, Taser, Taser," and pulled the trigger on her handgun at 2:02:01, firing one round into the left side of Wright, according to authorities.

Wright shouted "ah, he shot me," and the car sped away for a short distance before crashing into another car. An ambulance was called and Wright died at the scene, according to investigators.

After firing her gun, Potter said "expletive, I just shot him!" according to authorities.

The handgun was holstered on the right side of Potter's duty belt and her Taser was on the left side, according to authorities.

The Taser is yellow with a black grip and is set in "straight-draw position," meaning Potter would have to use her left hand to pull the Taser out of its holster, according to authorities.

Local activist groups have responded in the wake of Wright's death, which has led to days of protest in the Minneapolis area, where the trial of Derek Chauvin is ongoing.

The rally in Hackensack is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. It will be held at the Bergen County Courthouse. A Sunday march begins at Teaneck High School at 5 p.m.

These demonstrations come just days after Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability released bodycam video of the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by a police officer. Read more: Police Video Shows 13- Year-Old Adam Toledo Shot With Hands Up

'He Was Our Angel'

Wright, 20, lived in the Minneapolis area and was the father of a toddler.

Katie Wright, Daunte Wright's mother, said Sunday was the worst day of her life, recalling the phone conversation she had with him as he was pulled over. She said police ordered him off the phone, and when she called back, a woman answered, with video on, showing her that her son had been shot.

"That's the last time I've heard from my son, and I've had no explanation since then," she said.

A family member said of Wright that "he was our angel," according to a Patch report. "I feel like they stole my son's dad from him," the mother of Wright's child said during a news conference. Read more: 'He Was Our Angel': Family Of Daunte Wright On Police Shooting

Just before 2 p.m. Sunday, police say they stopped a car for a traffic violation near the 6300 block of Orchard Avenue. The driver, later identified as Wright, had an outstanding warrant, according to officers.

When they tried to take him into custody, Wright got back into the car, according to police. An officer then shot Wright, who drove several blocks before crashing into another car.

President Joe Biden weighed in Monday, saying "I haven't called Daunte Wright's family, but our prayers are with their family. It's really a tragic thing that happened," Axios reported.

Biden said he watched body camera footage from Wright's death, calling it "fairly graphic."

"The question is, was it an accident, was it intentional? That remains to be determined by a full-blown investigation," he added. "But in the meantime, I want to make it clear again, there is absolutely no justification for violence. Peaceful protests? Understandable."

Looting did happen on Sunday, according to a Patch report, and spread into nearby Minneapolis. But Wright's family urged protesters to stay peaceful as well.

"All the violence, if it keeps going, it's only going to be about the violence. We need it to be about why my son got shot for no reason," she said to a crowd near the shooting scene in Brooklyn Center. "We need to make sure it's about him and not about smashing police cars, because that's not going to bring my son back."

With reporting from William Bornhoft.

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