Minneapolis honors life of Daunte Wright

Hundreds of mourners filled a Minneapolis church on Thursday to honor the life of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black American who was fatally shot by a white police officer during a traffic stop on April 11.

"The absence of justice is the absence of peace," Rev. Al Sharpton said in his eulogy for Wright. "You can't tell us to shut up and suffer. We must speak up when there is an injustice,'' he told hundreds of mourners wearing COVID-19 masks at the Shiloh Temple International Ministries.

The killing of Wright has prompted fresh concerns in the US over police violence and their treatment of people of color.

The funeral was held two days after former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder of George Floyd.

"Take your seat, Daunte. Tell George Floyd who you are. Take your seat, Daunte. Shake hands with Philando Castile. Take your seat next to Oscar Grant," Sharpton, who is also a civil rights activist, said.

"Because there's a special place in heaven for those that shed innocent blood, because God will use you to straighten out the world."

'My son should be burying me'

Daunte's mother Katie Wright spoke about her son, saying, "The roles should be completely reversed. My son should be burying me."

"My son had a smile that was worth a million dollars. When he walked in the room, he lit up the room," she said.

Other family members, cousins and siblings, remembered Daunte as "the life of the party" and a father who lived for his two-year-old son Daunte Jr.

Katie Wright said: "He couldn't wait to make his son proud. Junior was the joy of his life. He lived for him every single day.''

Among the attendees was George Floyd's family, as well as the loved ones of several other Black Americans who were killed in police encounters including the mother of Philando Castile, the family of Emmett Till, and the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor.

Police footage of the April 11 shooting in Brooklyn Center shows several officers trying to arrest Wright for an outstanding warrant during a routine traffic stop. It then shows police officer Kimberly Potter threatening to stun Wright with her taser before firing her handgun. A few moments later, Potter can be heard exclaiming that she shot Wright. Minneapolis police have said the shooting was "accidental."

Potter, who has since resigned, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter.

mvb/rc(Reuters, AP)