Family and friends of Daunte Wright, the Minneapolis man who was shot dead by a police officer earlier this month, gathered to bid their final farewell to the deceased man on Thursday as America continues to grapple with issues of racial injustice and policing.
Speaking at Mr Wright's funeral at the Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis, his mother Katie gave an emotional tribute to her son. "My son should be burying me. He was loved by so many. He will be so missed."
Mr Wright was shot and killed by police officer Kim Potter after he was pulled over by police for an expired licence plate on April 11th in the Brooklyn Center area of the city.
Police later said he had an air-freshener on his rearview mirror, an infraction in Minnesota.
Ms Potter, who apparently used her gun instead of a Taser to neutralise Mr Wright after he re-entered his vehicle after he was arrested, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter.
His shooting, coming in the closing days of the trial into the killing of George Floyd last year in the city, threw fresh light on the issue of racial profiling by police in America.
Former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering Mr Floyd on Tuesday, after one of the highest-profile trials in Minnesota's history.
Ms Potter will appear in court next month and is currently free on bail.
Attorney general
Among those who attended Mr Wright's funeral on Thursday were Minnesota's attorney general Keith Ellison, who led the prosecution of Chauvin on behalf of the state, and Minnesotan members of Congress including Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Ilhan Omar.
Ms Omar presented the flag that flew over the United States Capitol to mark Mr Wright's passing to his parents.
Minnesota's governor Tim Walz also spoke at the funeral, reading a proclamation mourning the loss of Mr Wright.
“We know that this tragedy is connected to the deep and systemic racism in our society. While nothing will bring Daunte Weight back to his loved ones, we must continue to enact meaningful change at the state local and national levels to fight systemic racism.”
Meanwhile, protests took place in Ohio and North Carolina over two other police shootings that took place this week.
Ma’Khia Bryant died on Tuesday when a police officer shot her four times after he responded to a 911 call. Bodycam footage of the incident shows him trying to intervene as the victim appeared to attack someone with a knife.
"As a family we are all saddened by the tragic and unnecessary death of Ma'Khia," the victim's cousins Don Bryant and Deja Torrence said on Thursday. "She was loved by many...We want to remind everyone Ma'Khia was only a 16-year-old teenage girl."
Search warrant
In North Carolina authorities were investigating the shooting dead of a black man, Andrew Brown, by police on Wednesday morning.
A sheriff’s deputy in Pasquotank County shot and killed the 32-year-old man while carrying out a search warrant. Footage has not been released of the incident, though the officer involved was understood to have been wearing bodycam footage.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is now reviewing the case.
"We will be transparent and we will take the proper action based on the findings of that investigation," Pasquotank county sheriff Tommy Wooten II said, describing the events as "tragic".
