Three things for April 12
1. Police report multiple victims in Knoxville shooting
On Monday, multiple people including a police officer were shot at Austin-East Performing Arts Magnet High School in Knoxville. There is currently no report on the exact number of people shot, or the extent of their injuries.
The Knoxville Police Department confirmed authorities were at the site of the shooting. According to AP News, an online post said a Knoxville Police Department officer was reported among the victims.
Police urged people to avoid the area, adding a reunification site had been set up on a baseball field behind the school for students to be reunited with family.
“The school building has been secured and students who were not involved in the incident have been released to their families,” said Superintendent of Knox County Schools Bob Thomas. He added in a separate tweet that authorities were gathering information and about “this tragic situation” and that additional information would be provided later.
This is a developing story. For live updates, check-in with AP News.
2. Officer kills motorist near Minneapolis, crowd gathers in protest
A police officer in Minnesota fatally shot a motorist on Sunday, April 11, in the city of Brooklyn Center.
Officers pulled over the driver for a traffic violation and determined the driver had an outstanding warrant, the Brooklyn Center Police Department said in a statement.
Officers tried to arrest the driver, but he “re-entered the vehicle,” officials stated.
“One officer discharged their firearm, striking the driver,” the statement said. “The vehicle then traveled several blocks before striking another vehicle.” The driver died at the scene of the crash in a residential neighborhood, reports the New York Times.
The victim’s mother identified him as Daunte Wright, 20, and said he called her when he was pulled over.
By late Sunday, police officers in body armor and helmets formed a protective line around the Brooklyn Center Police Department Headquarters as a large crowd of protesters gathered. The police declared the gathering unlawful and ordered people to disperse, appearing to have released a gas irritant and other devices in an attempt to disperse them.
3. Ramsey Clark, former US attorney general and human rights activist, dead at 93
Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark has died at age 93. Clark, who helped shape U.S. civil rights law during the Johnson administration, traveled the world to fight human rights abuses.
Family member Sharon Welch confirmed to the New York Times Clark died on Friday, April 9.
Clark joined the Justice Department under President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and served in top posts until President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him as attorney general in 1967.
In the 1990s, Clark helped found the International Action Center in New York, which drew attention in 1999 for street protests condemning the bombing of Yugoslavia, according to Reuters.
“Equality is the mother of justice. If there is no equality in law, there is no justice,” Clark said in an interview with Reuters in 2001.
