The resignation of a police chief and of an officer who shot dead a black motorist in Minnesota have failed to end unrest over Sunday’s killing. Chief Tim Gannon and Officer Kim Potter quit the Brooklyn Center force on Tuesday.
The pair said she shot Daunte Wright accidentally, having mistakenly drawn her gun instead of her Taser. Despite the resignation fresh clashes between police and protesters erupted for a third night. The death happened in a suburb of Minneapolis, a city already on edge amid the trial of an ex-police officer accused of murdering George Floyd.
On Tuesday night bottles and other projectiles were thrown at police headquarters and officers responded by firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. More than 60 people were arrested, Minnesota State Patrol Colonel Matt Langer told reporters. Another demonstration broke out over the killing in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday night, with about 100 protesters marching on the Portland Police Association Building.
Flames were seen coming out of the side of the police building about an hour later. The Portland Police Bureau declared the gathering a riot. Portland was the centre of mass demonstrations last year, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
