Christian Leaders, Pastors Speak Out following the Shooting Death of Another Black American

Christian leaders and pastors across
the nation shared their reactions online
to the fatal police shooting of a 20-
year-old Black man in Minnesota.
The comments come after the fatal
shooting, which happened over the
weekend.
Authorities said this week that officer
Kim Potter accidentally discharged her
weapon and killed Daunte Wright.
Police have said she was trying to
Tase him.
Police bodycam footage shows the
officer trying to arrest Wright.
“I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser!
Taser! Taser!” The officer says in the
video footage.
Wright broke free and ran to get inside
his car. The officer fired a single shot,
and the car sped away.
“Holy (expletive)! I shot him,” the
officer says.
Wright died of the gunshot wound to
his chest, the Hennepin County Medical
Examiner’s office said.
Potter has resigned, and so has
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim
Gannon. Additionally, on Wednesday,
Potter was charged with second-degree
manslaughter.
A CALL FOR JUSTICE
Just days after the shooting, Christian
leaders have issued their reactions
online, with some calling the shooting
another example of “systemic” failure.
Christian rapper Lecrae posted online:
“There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t
already been said. I see a wholistic
problem, not simply an isolated event.
If we don’t work on our whole system,
its brokenness will continue to ruin
families.”
“The term is ‘excessive force,'” said
Sam Collier, author and pastor of
Hillsong Atlanta. “Because of the fear
of black people, law enforcement
officers overreact and kill us
unnecessarily. THIS IS A SYSTEMIC
PROBLEM THAT MUST BE
ADDRESSED AND CHANGED,” he
asserted.
“I would also be remiss if I did not
address my black brothers and sisters
and my future kids,” he added. “It
grieves me to even have to say this:
As my father told me. Please… don’t
give any officer a reason to overreact.
Don’t resist arrest, don’t stir the pot.
Don’t agitate the situation; it will never
end in our favor because the system is
broken. Praying for a day in which this
post isn’t needed.

Read Also
If A Pastor Tells You To Borrow Money And Give Him, Do This Immediately - Pastor Bolaji Idowu Reveals

Jesus is waiting for you.
God has planned a love story for you.
Begin your special relationship with him
today.

I’m tired of posting about this
and tired of the backlash from
both sides. But…here we are.
— Sam Collier (@SamCollier)
April 13, 2021
Christian author and teacher Christine
Caine reposted Collier’s post, only
adding, “Sometimes, we simply need to
listen.”


Pastor Judah Smith of Churchhome,
posted on Instagram that he was
“praying for the Wright family.”


Wright had a 1-year-old son.
“Why and how is it that WE are the
ones who always get accidentally
shot???” wrote author and pastor
DeVon Franklin . “My prayers go out to
Daunte Wright’s family and to his son,
who now has to grow up without a
father. It’s just devastating… can’t
even find the words…

A FAMILY’S GRIEF
Wright’s mother and other family
members have also spoken to
reporters about her son.
Mother Katie Wright said her son called
her after being pulled over to get
insurance information to give to the
officer. She said the officer asked him
to get out of the car.
“Then the police officer asked him to
hang up the phone,” Katie Wright said.
“Three or four seconds went by. I tried
calling back to back to back because I
didn’t know what was going on.”
Eventually, the passenger in the car
with Wright was able to FaceTime with
his mother.
“And she was crying and screaming
and said that they shot him,” she said.
“And then she pointed the phone
towards the driver’s seat, and my son
was laying there, unresponsive. That
was the last time that I seen my son,”
she said.
“That’s the last time I heard from my
son. And I’ve had no explanation since
then.”
Wright’s aunt, Naisha Wright, told
reporters that her nephew was loved.
“This is no broken home,” she said.
“This is 23 years of love.”
“How do we put life back together after
this?” Naisha Wright asked. “My
mother shouldn’t have to be burying
her grandchild. My brother and my
sister shouldn’t be burying their son.”
SUPPORT FROM OTHERS
Wright’s family has said they do not
believe Wright was accidentally shot.
“I can’t accept that … mistake,”
Wright’s father, Aubrey Wright, said.
“That doesn’t even sound right. You
know, this officer has been on the
force for 26-plus years. I can’t accept
that.”
Protestors have continued to gather at
the Brooklyn Center Police Department
for several nights following the
shooting.
Acting city manager Reggie Edwards
said in an emergency city council
meeting Thursday that “95 percent of
protestors are protesting peacefully.”
He said arrests have been declining
throughout the week.
Wednesday night, however, a
spokesperson with Operation Safety
Net said some protestors threw objects
at police, while some protestors told
reporters that police have been forceful
in trying to control the crowds.
“Don’t tell me that you’re scared of me
when I don’t have no armor, weapons
in my hand,” a 19-year-old protestor
told local media. “You should have shot
me in the mouth because that’s the
only thing it’s going to take for me to
shut up.”
The shooting happened just days after
the trial in the death of George Floyd
began. Floyd was killed after a
Minneapolis police officer knelt on
Floyd’s neck for more than nine
minutes as he tried to restrain Floyd
during an arrest last year.
The former officer, Derek Chauvin, is
currently on trial for murder.
This week, Floyd’s family met with the
Wright family in Minneapolis.
“They thought it was important that
they give comfort to Daunte Wright’s
mother” and family, said Benjamin
Crump, an attorney for the Wright
family.
Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, told
the Wright family, “we will stand in
support with you.”
“The world is traumatized, watching
another African American man being
slayed,” Philonise Floyd said.
“I woke up in the morning with this on
my mind. I don’t want to see another
victim,” he said.
“It’s a time for change, and that time is
now.”
CHAUVIN’S TRIAL
Meanwhile, the prosecution and the
defense have rested their cases in the
murder trial of Chauvin. Closing
arguments are expected to take place
on Monday.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree
murder, third-degree murder and
second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s
death. If convicted of the most serious
charge, as a first-time offender, he
could face 10 1/2 years to 15 years in
prison.
The jury will be sequestered during
deliberations.
If I were you, I would plan for long
(deliberations) and hope for short,” the
judge told jurors this week.

About Nobelie 8783 Articles
My Passion for The Gospel bought about this great Platform.. I love to share the Good News. That's my PASSION. I don't believe the Gospel should be boring. Nobelie is so exclusive. You won't find what we offer any where else. You ask a friend.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.