George Floyd's girlfriend Courteney Ross once taught Daunte Wright in high school: 'He needed a lot of love'
An aunt of Daunte Wright, 20, revealed a connection between her family and George Floyd on Tuesday, April 13. Daunte was fatally shot by the police in Minnesota during a traffic stop. During a press conference, Daunte’s aunt Naisha Wright said that a former girlfriend of Floyd had also been her nephew's teacher at one point.
She made the statement during a press conference held by attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing both the Floyd and Wright families. Naisha, wearing a T-shirt designed with a photo of Floyd, pointed to the shirt while discussing the two families’ ties. Floyd's girlfriend Courteney Ross was Wright's former teacher.
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Wow: Daunte Wright’s aunt says George Floyd’s girlfriend was Daunte’s former teacher pic.twitter.com/nYvjsYuds1
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 13, 2021
“I wear this shirt and the craziest thing is to find out today that my family has connections to this man, to this family. His girlfriend was the teacher for my nephew,” she said, gesturing to the shirt, which read the word “justice” below Floyd’s picture.
Ross confirmed her connection to Wright to the Washington Post on Tuesday afternoon, April 13, telling the outlet that Wright attended Edison High School while she was a dean. He was a "silly boy, as goofy as can be," and "needed a lot of love", Ross told the Washington Post. She also said that one of the last times she saw him was when Ross and Floyd were walking through Brooklyn Center in the summer of 2019. They saw him being confronted by police. "Students like Daunte needed more resources but they never got more resources," Ross told the Washington Post. "Our system doesn't serve kids like Daunte. And now I'm seeing, more than ever, this system I once believed in, we're done doing what we need to be doing to protect Black life."
Naisha also called for Kim Potter, the Brooklyn Center officer who killed her nephew, to be held accountable. “His smile, the most beautiful smile. Y'all took that,” she added. “My nephew’s blood is on y'all hands. I’ve never seen my brother hurt like this before. Never. To hear my brother and to see my sister’s pain. Hold her accountable? Hold her higher than accountable. You train people on this stuff. Twenty-six years. Twenty-six years.”
Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, stood alongside the Wright family during the press conference, saying the Floyd family "will stand in support" of them. "The world is traumatized... Police officers are killing us, and we are being murdered at a rate I cannot imagine," Philonise said. "We're here and we will fight for justice for this family, just like we're fighting for our brother. There's a time for change," he added, "and that time is now".
The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled Daunte’s death as a homicide and said he died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
On Sunday, April 11, Daunte was shot dead by Potter after allegedly being pulled over for having his air freshener hanging from his mirror. Police noticed he had an outstanding warrant and placed him under arrest. As he tried to get back into his car, Potter pulled her handgun and shot him in the chest. She resigned shortly after his death. Potter claimed that she meant to use her taser and not the gun. “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department and my fellow officers if I resign immediately,” she wrote in a resignation letter addressed to the mayor and police chief.