Brooklyn Center, MN – Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliot said yesterday police in his city do not need to carry guns while executing a traffic stop.
“I don’t believe that officers need to necessarily have weapons every time they’re making a traffic stop,” he said. “Or engaged in situations that don’t call for weapons. There are jurisdictions around the world where that is the case and it’s not needed.”
Elliot made his remarks days after 20-year-old Duante Wright was killed by a police officer while attempting to flee a routing traffic stop. Police approached Duante’s car with guns drawn after discovering he had an active arrest warrant for an armed robbery in 2019. Wright and an accomplice used a gun to rob a homeowner of $280.
“Give me the f-cking money, I’m not playing around,” Wright said to the woman.
“Give me the money, and we will leave,” the woman claims Wright demanded. “Give me the money, and we will go.”
Wright was also in violation of his bail agreement at the time of the traffic stop for a prior gun possession charge.
Later, Elliot met with the ‘peaceful’ protesters that assembled in his city.
“Earlier this evening I had the opportunity to go talk to these peaceful protesters. I assured them we are working collaboratively with all involved agencies & will get to the bottom of this. Our city is calm now, thank you all who came out to peacefully protest then went home,” he said.
Police officers today told a different story, saying they were pelted with frozen drinks, bricks and bottles during the peaceful protest.