Police Officer Calls Out Other Officers Who Can’t Tell The Difference Between A Gun And A Taser

On April 11, 2021, a police officer fatally shot a 20-year-old African-American man, Daunte Wright. According to Chief Tim Gannon of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, it all began when officers pulled Mr. Wright over for a traffic violation related to expired registration tags. Officers then discovered that he had a warrant for his arrest.

As the police tried to detain Mr. Wright, he stepped back into his car, prompting a brief struggle with officers. Graphic body camera footage revealed one officer was pointing a handgun at Mr. Wright and shouting “Taser.” After the car pulled away, the officer said, “I just shot him.”

Image credits: nytimes

After the car traveled several blocks, it struck another vehicle. The police and medical workers pronounced Mr. Wright dead at the scene.

“It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet,” Chief Gannon said. Later, the Hennepin County medical examiner confirmed that Mr. Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

In the wake of these events, a video reaction went viral TikTok, showing another police officer demonstrating how it’s impossible for an experienced cop to mistake their gun for their taser.

“I don’t understand how we can mistake a taser for a gun or a gun for a taser. 99% of our job is communication. You don’t gotta be quick to pull out a gun or a taser. Not everybody’s a threat. Try talking to them, get to know them people.” — 12 year Veteran Police Officer Brian B pic.twitter.com/feOIUBH2tu

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. قاسم رشید (@QasimRashid) April 17, 2021

The officer behind the video identifies as Brian B. In the recording, he readies his belt and shows the positioning of his ‘dominant’ and ‘not so dominant’ weapons.

He then stresses the weight difference between the two and shares his thoughts on the deadly shot, saying that anybody who can such a mistake, even in the heat of the moment, doesn’t deserve to be on the force.