Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., called for the end of policing, saying it was "intentionally racist" and "can’t be reformed."
Tlaib posted her comments on Twitter Monday following the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Black man in Minnesota. The local police chief said he believed the shooting was the result of an officer mistakenly using a gun instead of a Taser, The Hill reported Tuesday.
"It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. [Victim] Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence," Tlaib tweeted.
"I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed."
Wright was shot Sunday at a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The death has been ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., who like Tlaib is a member of the progressive "Squad," joined in saying policing cannot be "reformed."
"From slave patrols to traffic stops. We can’t reform this," Pressley tweeted.
Fellow Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., tweeted her state was "sick and heartbroken" about the latest shooting.
"This violence is a basic part of police interactions with communities of color. It must stop," Omar wrote.
Wright’s death incited protests around Minnesota. Photos and video showed hundreds of protesters gathering in Brooklyn Center, which is just north of Minneapolis, on Sunday night.
Minneapolis is the location of the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, accused of murdering George Floyd.
Wright initially was pulled over for expired license tags. Authorities obtained his ID, and discovered there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
Released body camera footage shows Wright trying to get back into his car when two officers attempt to hand cuff and arrest him.
"Tazer!," one officer yelled several times after Wright got back into the driver's seat.
As Wright grabs the steering wheel, an officer points a gun at the man and shouts, "Holy [expletive]!" and then appears to drop the gun.
"I shot him," the officer can be heard saying.
Wright drove off, crashed, and died. A female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash, according to Wright's mother.
The officer who fired the shot was described as a female senior member of the force and has been put on administrative leave, Fox News reported.
Local officials and President Joe Biden have requested protesters remain peaceful.
Speaking before the unrest, Wright's mother, Katie Wright, urged protesters to stay peaceful and focused on the loss of her son.
"All the violence, if it keeps going, it's only going to be about the violence. We need it to be about why my son got shot for no reason," she said to a crowd near the shooting scene. "We need to make sure it's about him and not about smashing police cars, because that's not going to bring my son back."
A state of emergency was declared and a curfew implemented across several Minnesota counties.
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