Gregg Popovich: Police Shooting of Daunte Wright 'Makes You Sick to Your Stomach'

Popovich: "His family’s grieving and his friends are grieving and we just keep moving on as if nothing’s happened."

Scott Wachter/USA TODAY Sports

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich addressed the police killing of Minnesota resident Daunte Wright, noting the incident “makes you sick to your stomach.

“How many times does that have to happen?” Popovich asked the media before the Spurs faced the Magic on Monday. “As sick to our stomachs as we might feel, you know, that individual is dead.

“His family’s grieving and his friends are grieving and we just keep moving on as if nothing’s happened.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich just gave an angry, emotional response when asked about fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by a police officer near Minneapolis. He talked guns, policing and blasted Gov. Greg Abbott. (Pt. 1) pic.twitter.com/VVBr9hRzSw

— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) April 12, 2021

Police shot and killed Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Sunday. Video footage of the incident shows three police officers surrounding Wright's car due to expired registration tags, with one officer repeatedly threatening Wright with a Taser. As Wright returned to his car, a single shot was fired from the officer's handgun.

The police officer who fired the shot meant to shoot Wright with a Taser, per Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon. The incident was described by Gannon as an "accidental discharge."

The Timberwolves and Twins postponed their respective games on Monday following Wright's death, as did the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Popovich's Spurs and the Magic met at center court before their matchup on Monday, locking arms in response to Sunday's shooting. 

Spurs and Magic lock arms at center court in response to the police shooting of Daunte Wright. pic.twitter.com/yxY14NuKK8

— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 13, 2021

Wright's death occurred roughly 10 miles from where former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd in May 2020. Chauvin is currently on trial for murder.