MINNEAPOLIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2021) Family and friends are bidding a final farewell to Daunte Wright, the young African American killed by police whose death sparked violent protests and added momentum to a nationwide drive against police brutality.
Hundreds of mourners filled Shiloh Temple International Ministries on Thursday for a private service preceding Wright's entombment.
The 20-year old man was shot dead 11 days ago by a policewoman who allegedly mistook a handgun for a taser during a traffic stop. The shooting stirred tensions that were already high in Minneapolis amid the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the death of another African American, George Floyd.
Protests for the killing of Wright lasted for over a week and were marred by clashes with police, multiple arrests and looting. The unrest stopped two days ago after the jury recognized Floyd's death as murder and found Chauvin guilty on all counts.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony is Al Sharpton, a controversial civil rights activist and one of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement. Last year he administered Floyd's funeral in Houston.
"We should not think that, because we won one battle with Chauvin, the war is over, or that if we do not get justice for this case, that we will undo what we were able to do with George Floyd," Sharpton said earlier in an interview.
Floyd's relatives also attend the service together with local officials.
An obituary recalled Wright's love for Independence Day fireworks, the "lemon head" nickname and his affection and care for his son.
The ceremony is guarded by armed private security detail and watched from the outside of the church building by multiple reporters. No police presence has been noted in the area.
