Minnesota Twins Cancel Game Against Red Sox 'Out of Respect' for Daunte Wright

The Minnesota Twins announced the postponement of their Monday game against the Boston Red Sox because of Sunday's fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

"Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center [Minnesota], and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today's game," the team wrote in a statement posted to Twitter.

"The decision was made by the Minnesota Twins after consultation with Major League Baseball and local and state officials," the statement said. "The Minnesota Twins organization extends its sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright."

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild also announced that they were postponing their home games on Monday night.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the Wild wrote, "Out of respect for the heartbreaking incident that occurred last night in Brooklyn Center, tonight's Minnesota Wild game has been postponed."

The statement added, "The Minnesota Wild Organization extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Daunte Wright."

Reached for further comment, the Wild directed Newsweek to the statement posted to Twitter.

In a statement on Twitter, the Timberwolves said, "Yesterday's tragic event, involving the life of Daunte Wright, once again leaves our community mourning. After consultation with the League, and local and state officials, we believe postponing tonight's game versus the Brooklyn Nets is the best decision."

The NBA also released a statement, saying, "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Daunte Wright during this difficult time."

The postponements comes a day after Wright, a Black man, was fatally shot by a Brooklyn Center police officer during a traffic stop. The incident occurred not far from Minneapolis, where former city police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial in the George Floyd murder case. The shooting has led to protests in both Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis.

Newsweek was directed to the Twins' statement on Twitter after reaching out for further comment.

The game was originally scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m. local time, but at around 1:30 p.m. it had not yet started. Before the statement was issued by the Twins, MLB reported a "delayed start."

The Twins' statement was retweeted by the Red Sox.

Brooklyn Center police pulled over Wright's vehicle for a traffic violation. During the stop, police learned that he had an outstanding warrant and attempted to arrest him. Wright was shot as he tried to flee the scene.

During a press conference Monday, the Brooklyn Center Police Department showed body camera footage of the shooting. The video appears to show one officer attempting to reach for her Taser but instead pulling out her gun and shooting Wright.

"Holy s***! I shot him," one of the officers can be heard saying in the video.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said during the press conference, "I'm not in the mind of the officer. I can only see what you all are seeing."

He added, "I believe this was an accidental discharge.... It is my belief that the officer had the intention to employ their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet."

The officer who shot Wright has not been publicly identified by police but was placed on administrative leave shortly after the incident.

This story was updated on April 12 to include statements from the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Timberwolves announcing a postponement of their Monday games.