Daunte Wright And Adam Toledo Memorial Dismantled
Some Bakersfield, Calif., police officers are under fire after reportedly dismantling a makeshift memorial for Daunte Wright, 20, and Adam Toledo, 13, who lost their lives in police-involved shootings in separate states this year.
Residents of the California city held a vigil Saturday night (April 17) where several memorials were created. A video uploaded on TikTok during the night of the event, however, shows an officer removing the signs. According to TMZ, the police department claimed that the cardboard and candles were a fire hazard and needed to be discarded.
“This would not be the first time a vigil went up in flames so things have to be removed to avoid a fire,” Bakersfield PD said.
Wright was fatally wounded in a traffic stop on Sunday (April 11) in Brooklyn Center, Minn., when he was pulled over for expired tags. In footage from Potter’s body camera video, officers began to place him in handcuffs, arresting him for alleged outstanding warrants. But after a short scuffle, Wright attempted to get in his vehicle, and Potter shouted “taser, taser,” then pulled her service weapon and fired. Wright drove several blocks before crashing. Officers attempted lifesaving maneuvers, but he died at the scene.
Former Brooklyn Center police officer, Kim Potter, charged in the shooting death of Wright, made her first court appearance on Thursday (April 15), a day after being arrested and released on $100,000 bond, according to CBS Minnesota.
Adam Toledo had his hands raised when Chicago police shot and killed him last month, officer body camera footage of the incident released on Thursday (April 15) shows, People Magazine reports. On April 17, a Chicago prosecutor was placed on leave after he claimed in a court hearing that Adam had a gun in his possession, the Chicago Tribune writes.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said watching the body cam footage was “excruciating,” adding “there’s no evidence whatsoever” that the 13-year-old fired at officers before he was fatally shot on March 29.
