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Was Daunte Wright pulled over by police because he had an air freshener hanging from his mirror?

Tuesday, April 20, 2021
By Dana Ford
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NO

Police have said that they stopped Wright because of expired tags, and that it was when officers approached the vehicle that they saw something hanging from his rearview mirror in violation of Minnesota safe driving laws.

A police officer fatally shot Wright, 20, during an April 11, 2021, traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

During a press conference on April 12, 2021, then-Police Chief Tim Gannon said Wright's tags were expired and Brooklyn Center officers did notice a "hanging item from the rearview mirror." Gannon said officers ran Wright's name, found there was a warrant and then attempted an arrest.

Minnesota law prohibits hanging items from a vehicle's rearview mirror. Supporters of the law believe it's necessary to help drivers maintain a clear line of sight, but critics contend it can be used as an excuse to make pretextual stops that target Black people.

See a full discussion of this at leadstories.com
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Sources
Minnesota Legislature Office of the Revisor of Statutes
Rev Transcript of press conference with Brooklyn Center mayor and police
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Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.