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I often wondered what made George Liddle Sr. decide to bass fish on the Cal Sag.

“When you’re ate up with bass fishing,, when there is a pond, you’re going to fish it,” said his son George Jr. driving back Sunday to Arkansas. “In the early ’80s, we went out there a couple times and, ‘What the heck? There are fish here.’

“Early on, it was small baits, single spins, small crankbaits, doing anything to get a bite. Those baits still work well.”

Near the Y on the Calumet, they got up to 40 bass a day sometimes.

“After that, we expanded and expanded,” George Jr. said. “We loved to fish, didn’t matter where.”

“He was the first one to hit the Calumet and he didn’t keep it a secret,” Ed Bohn said. “He let some of us of know.”

“He taught us how to fish the Cal Sag,” Mike Skwira messaged. “All the tournaments on there now are because of him. I never fished with him, but fished against him … and usually lost!”

George Liddle Sr., 85, died April 6 “surrounded by loved ones.” The family held a private gathering. A celebration of his life will happen, maybe this summer, when COVID restrictions ease.

“He’s a legend in Chicago,” said Bohn, master of bass on southern Lake Michigan. “He put bass fishing on the map in Chicago. I may have done the big lake, But I definitely went to him and asked for help.”

A lot of anglers and boat owners found help from “Big G,” who ran Liddle’s Auto and Marine Repair in Crestwood for more than 35 years.

“If you had a problem with your boat, that is who you had to see, probably one of the best in the country for fixing fiberglass,” Bohn said.

“He would have loved for me to take that over,” George Jr. said. “I loved to go fishing. Because of him, I was able to make a living out of it.

“He helped me chase that dream that I had, any time I wanted to go fishing, he would take me. He did that with so many people. When you are in a boat, those are things you don’t forget, memories you don’t forget.”

At Mr. Liddle’s 80th birthday party, more than 100 showed up. Mr. Liddle certainly touched his son, who made the 1988 Bassmaster Classic and finished 20th. George Jr. has worked more than 30 years in bass boats, mostly with Ranger Boats until 2017 when he went with Vexus Boats.

Mr. Liddle grew up in the south suburbs, his daughter Sandra Liddle said. He and his wife June moved to Alsip in 1967. They met as teenagers and were married for 64 years.

“Every day we knew he was going to be there, really steady,” Sandra said. “He was always happiest when fishing. He didn’t pass that to me, but to my daughter.”

“How many people he reached through fishing or working on boats, it is mind-boggling how many people he touched in one way or another,” George Jr. said.

WILD THINGS

Things I saw rambling Sunday afternoon: mayapples (not flowering) fruit), and the blooms of spring beauty and large-flowered bellwort. Things I didn’t see: morels or shed antlers. . . . Christian Howe saw hummingbirds and put feeders up more than a week ago. So I put mine up Thursday. . . . Remember, at Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites open during turkey hunting, mushroom hunting may not begin until 1 p.m.

STRAY CAST

Days like Sunday in Chicago sports remind me of a high-sky day at Heidecke Lake.

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Federal prosecutors have charged an ex-Melrose Park police officer for his role in a gambling ring run by a bookie with mob ties who was sentenced last week to more than two years in prison.

John Amabile, 33, is charged with running an illegal sports bookmaking operation. The charge stems from the same investigation that led to last week’s sentencing of Gregory Paloian, of Elmwood Park, a source confirmed.

Reached earlier this year after abruptly resigning from the Melrose Park Police Department amid rumors that he was in trouble with federal investigators, Amabile declined to speak in detail with a reporter.

“I have no comment at all,” he said. Asked whether he had an attorney, he said, “No, not at the moment.”

Amabile also declined to comment after he was charged Tuesday. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Prosecutors have previously said a “veteran police officer from a local police department” was among the “most prolific agents” of Paloian, who admitted in January he ran the ring from 2015 until 2019 in Chicago, Elmwood Park and Melrose Park.

But the feds say they “know now that Paloian was running a bookmaking operation as early as 2012 and continuing until shut down by the FBI.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Kinney wrote in a recent court filing that the ring involved 60 gamblers.

U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow last week gave Paloian two-and-a-half years in prison, a sentence Paloian compared to a possible death sentence due to his medical issues.

Amabile’s father Joseph is a former Melrose Park police lieutenant. Amabile’s uncle James is a former Melrose Park fire lieutenant who was convicted in a mob-related extortion case in 2015, sentenced to six months in prison and released from custody in 2016, according to interviews and records.

Amabile’s brother Joe became a minor celebrity after appearing on “The Bachelorette” and, subsequently, other reality shows.

Amabile’s late grandfather, also named Joseph, was a reputed “crime kingpin in the western suburbs,” and acolyte of high-ranking hoodlum Sam Battaglia, before his death in 1976, according to interviews and published accounts. The grandfather was convicted of extortion in 1967 and sent to prison, according to his Chicago Sun-Times obituary.

Over the years, members of the family have donated to political campaigns benefitting Melrose Park Mayor Ronald Serpico — who has presided after a number of scandals and embarrassments within his police department during his years in office.

In 2017, former Melrose Park police Detective Greg Salvi was sent to prison for a drug-dealing scheme that included stealing narcotics from his department’s evidence room.

In 2013, a motorcycle club started by Melrose Park cops disbanded after a reporter discovered members were wearing patches pledging support for the Outlaws, a notorious biker gang that’s been described as a criminal enterprise by federal authorities.

In 2009, former Melrose Park Police Chief Vito Scavo was convicted in a racketeering and extortion scheme and sent to prison.

Paloian also has ties to organized crime, having previously been sentenced in 2002 to 41 months in prison for running a mob-connected bookmaking operation. Last week, federal prosecutors also revealed that his name is on the prison contact list for imprisoned Cicero mob boss Michael “The Large Guy” Sarno, who has been arguing for compassionate release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote in a court filing that “Paloian has regularly sent money to Sarno’s prison account since he was imprisoned; these are no doubt the proceeds of his illegal gambling business.”

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BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A white Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb and the city’s chief of police resigned Tuesday, moves that the mayor said he hoped would help heal the community and lead to reconciliation after two nights of protests and unrest.

Officer Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned two days after the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center. Potter, a 26-year veteran, had been on administrative leave following Sunday’s shooting, which happened as the Minneapolis area was already on edge over the trial of the first of four police officers in George Floyd’s death.

Gannon has said he believed Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun when she was going for her Taser. She can be heard on her body camera video shouting “Taser! Taser!”

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said he was “appreciative” that Potter submitted her resignation but that he had not asked for it. Elliott said he was not sure if it was because she had heard that she would soon be fired. He said he hoped her resignation would “bring some calm to the community,” but that he would keep working towards “full accountability under the law.”

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“That’s what we’re going to continue to work for,” Elliott said. “We have to make sure that justice is served, justice is done. Daunte Wright deserves that, his family deserves that.”

The mayor said the new police leadership was committed to working with community leaders and protesters, who say Wright was racially profiled.

“We’re hoping that we’re turning over a new leaf now,” he said. “I’m confident of that now.”

Wright was shot as police were trying to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.

“I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” the officer is heard shouting on her body cam footage released Monday. She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police outside his car and gets back behind the wheel.

After firing a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away, and the officer is heard saying, “Holy (expletive)! I shot him.”

Potter, a 26-year veteran, sent a one-paragraph letter of resignation.

“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,” Potter wrote.

Wright’s father, Aubrey Wright, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that he rejects the explanation that Potter mistook her gun for her Taser.

“I lost my son. He’s never coming back. I can’t accept that. A mistake? That doesn’t even sound right. This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can’t accept that,” he said.

Protests erupted for a second night following Sunday’s shooting, heightening anxiety in an area already on edge as the Derek Chauvin trial progresses. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck.

Chauvin and three other officers were fired the day after Floyd’s death. Potter initially was placed on administrative leave during the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation into Wright’s death.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the police union, issued a statement Tuesday saying “no conclusions should be made until the investigation is complete.”

Body camera footage Gannon released less than 24 hours after the shooting shows three officers around a stopped car, which authorities said was pulled over because it had expired registration tags. When one officer attempts to handcuff Wright, a second officer tells him he’s being arrested on a warrant. That’s when the struggle begins and Potter shoots Wright.

He died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office.

Potter has experience with investigations into police shootings. Potter was one of the first officers to respond after Brooklyn Center police fatally shot a man who allegedly allegedly tried to stab an officer with a knife in August 2019, according to a report from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

After medics arrived, she told the two officers who shot the man to get into separate squad cars, turn off their body cameras, and not to speak to each other. She was also the police union president for the department and accompanied two other officers involved in the shooting while investigators interviewed them.

Court records show Wright was being sought after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Demonstrators began to gather shortly after the shooting, with some jumping atop police cars.

On Monday, hundreds of protesters gathered hours after a dusk-to-dawn curfew was announced by the governor. When protesters wouldn’t disperse, police began firing gas canisters and flash-bang grenades, sending clouds wafting over the crowd and chasing some protesters away. Forty people were arrested, Minnesota State Patrol Col. Matt Langer said at a news conference early Tuesday. In Minneapolis, 13 arrests were made, including for burglaries and curfew violations, police said.

Brooklyn Center is a modest suburb just north of Minneapolis that has seen its demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70% of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Latino.

Wright’s death prompted protests in other U.S. cities, including in Portland, Oregon, where police said a demonstration turned into a riot Monday night, with some in the crowd throwing rocks and other projectiles at officers.

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Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

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Mohamed Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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Steph Curry became the Golden State Warriors’ all-time leading scorer Monday night, as his 53-point performance moved him past Wilt Chamberlain.

To mark the feat, ESPN interviewed Hall of Famers Jerry West and Reggie Miller and future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, all who spent their careers with the same team and at one point led their franchise in scoring.

The question: Was there ever a point you felt like you might leave? Any superstar pitches to join forces?

“No,” Miller told ESPN. “And if Michael Jordan ever would have called me and tried to sway me to come to Chicago, I would have told him to go (expletive) himself! ‘I’ll be coming to see you on I-65,’ or whatever that highway is there. ‘I’ll be down to see you.'”

Miller went on to admit that the Knicks came calling, but that was already after Miller and New York “had a storied history,” as he put it. Nowtizki told ESPN he fielded a call from the late Kobe Bryant after one of his final deals with the Mavericks expired, but he politely declined.

One of the best shooters in NBA history, Miller said it pains him he never helped deliver the Pacers a championship — something Curry, who Miller called “Mr. Warrior,” has done three times for Golden State.

Finding that type of success with the team that drafted you is rare, Miller said.

“It’s jewelry over loyalty,” he told ESPN.

Read more at usatoday.com

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Cook County, state will stop administering J&J vaccine after US recommends ‘pause’ over clot reports

Archivo de AP

Use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine came to a grinding halt across Illinois Tuesday after federal health authorities recommended a “pause” on its use while it investigates reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.

“IDPH has notified all Illinois COVID-19 providers throughout the state to discontinue use of the J&J vaccine at this time. In order to keep appointments, IDPH is strongly advising providers to use Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines,” the Illinois Department of Public Health said Tuesday.

“Moderna and Pfizer make up the vast majority of doses on hand in the state of Illinois. This week, the state’s allocation of J&J was 17,000 doses. For the week of April 18, 2021, the expected allocation for the state is 483,720 total doses. Of that total allocation, 5,800 doses were expected to be J&J.

More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.

U.S. federal distribution channels, including mass vaccination sites, will suspend the use of the J&J shot, and states and other providers are expected to follow. The other two authorized vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, make up the vast share of COVID-19 shots administered in the U.S. and are not affected by the pause.

The mass vaccination site at the United Center had been scheduled to begin administering J&J shots Monday but that plan is on hold, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman.

Read the full story from Mitch Dudek here.

News

1:37 p.m. Poll: 15% of Americans worse off a year into pandemic

While most Americans have weathered the pandemic financially, about 38 million say they are worse off now than before the outbreak began in the U.S.

Overall, 55% of Americans say their financial circumstances are about the same now as a year ago, and 30% say their finances have improved, according to a new poll from Impact Genome and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But 15% say they are worse off.

The problem is more pronounced at lower-income levels: 29% of Americans living below the federal poverty line say their personal finances worsened in the past year. Roughly that many also find themselves in a deepening financial hole, saying they struggled to pay bills in the past three months.

Read the full story here.

11:27 a.m. Loretto CEO should be fired after COVID vaccine controversy, community petition states

Some community organizers in Austin are calling for the firing of The Loretto Hospital President and Chief Executive George Miller over his handling of COVID-19 vaccines.

As of Monday, an online petition had almost 250 signatures and the lead organizers say they are asking for a video-conference meeting with the hospital board members, a request the directors so far are not granting.

“The documented inappropriate use of our vaccines, the lack of accountability/respect of our vaccines by President Miller and his team during the pandemic have and continue to disgrace Loretto Hospital and the community it serves,” said an April 5 letter from organizer Mary Russell Gardner and a dozen other women.

Miller is being disciplined by his board, receiving a two-week suspension, following vaccine events at the Trump Tower, the CEO’s South Suburban church and elsewhere that led Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Administration to cut off vaccine supplies until the hospital can show that it has a plan to make sure shots are going to the Austin community.

The hospital is conducting an inquiry and audit to present to the city. The hospital’s No. 2 executive, former Chief Operating Officer Anosh Ahmed, resigned last month in the wake of the controversy.

Brett Chase and Mary Mitchell have the full story here.

9:05 a.m. Pritzker office staffer tests positive for COVID-19

An employee in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, a spokeswoman for the governor said.

The staff member was not in close contact with Pritzker Monday, or in previous days, and all staff who were identified as having been so will follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control protocol, Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for Pritzker’s office, said in a statement.

“The Governor’s Office continues to follow COVID-19 safety protocols including testing staff multiple times per week, weekly deep cleaning procedures, mask wearing, social distancing, and limiting the number of staff reporting to the office for in person work,” Abudayyeh said in the statement.

Since Pritzker had no direct contact with the staffer, he will not be self-isolating, his office said.

Rachel Hinton has the full story here.

New cases and vaccination numbers

• Officials on Monday announced that Illinois’ coronavirus test positivity rate has reached its highest point since late January, when a previous surge in cases was tapering off. The seven-day positivity rate jumped to 4.4% and continued an incremental upward trend that could lead officials to again place stronger restrictions on businesses. The statewide positivity rate had dipped to 2.1% on March 13.
• The city’s positivity rate now sits at 5.6% — up from 5.1% just a week earlier, the city said Monday.
• The state also announced 2,433 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed from 53,115 tests. Eighteen additional deaths were also reported.
• Nearly 2,000 people diagnosed with the virus were hospitalized Sunday, according to Illinois Department of Health data. That’s the highest number of statewide hospitalizations since Feb. 10.
• The number of inoculations administered Sunday dropped to 64,772 after five straight six-figure vaccination days, state health officials reported. So far, more than 7.2 million vaccine doses have gone into arms.

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Before his time in Chicago, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Adam McKay (“Anchorman,” “The Big Short,” “Succession”) became aware of Ben Wilson via the Simeon hoops legend’s highly publicized murder in 1984.

But when he lived in the city during his time with the famed ImprovOlympic and Second City comedy theaters, McKay, an avid basketball fan, began to understand the nuance behind Wilson’s legacy.

“I would always talk basketball with people and ask questions about [Wilson] and what kind of player he was, the tragedy of what happened, and so I definitely was much more familiarized with the story and got a lot more details from my time in Chicago,” said McKay. “I used to go to a lot of high school basketball games when I was there because we lived in Chicago where some of the best basketball in the world takes place in that [Chicago] Public League.

“I remember going to see Kevin Garnett play when he was in [Farragut] high school and was on the same team with Ronnie Fields. Michael Wright was the power forward for them. … All of these incredible players, and you’re in a gym with 100 people or 200 people getting to watch these superstars, so that was a big part of my time in Chicago.”

McKay seems to have had his Chicago Public League experience in mind when curating “Death at the Wing,” a narrative podcast that premiered last month on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher about the tragic deaths of hoops legends. Wilson is the subject of episode four, which premieres Wednesday.

Wilson was named by talent scout Bob Gibbons as the top high school player in the nation — the first Chicagoan to receive the honor.

“We were pretty upfront about the way we were looking at the story, that we wanted to look at the actual personal story of Benji,” said McKay, who serves as the podcast’s host and producer. “We wanted to talk about the personal story with the young men who were involved in the shooting. We wanted to talk about the larger political changes that were going on with funding in the city, the change in the NRA, from what it was like in the early ’70s to what it is now. We were pretty upfront with everyone that we were looking at all angles of this.”

Sun-Times file

And McKay’s basketball content doesn’t stop with the “Death at the Wing” podcast.

He also is the executive producer of an upcoming HBO limited series detailing the 1980s “Showtime” era of the Lakers.

“Of all the times to be having two projects going that are about the massive cultural influence and change that the NBA brought — and at the same time the political forces around it,” said McKay. “It’s really strange that both of them happen to land on the same square. ‘Showtime’ Lakers is directly about the ‘Showtime’ Lakers, but proved in that telling of that story, it gets into a lot of other issues about race, about class, about American culture, about these individuals, drug abuse; all that kind of stuff happens through the lens of the ‘Showtime’ Lakers. It’s a really interesting story.”

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Chicago Bears NFL Draft 2021: Desperate trades to make within NFC North by Ryan Heckman

Throughout the Chicago Cubs first 10 game of 2021 MLB Season, much has been made regarding their offense or lack thereof.

Entering play on Tuesday, the Cubs currently have a team batting average of .162 and that is the worst batting average among all Major League Baseball teams. The struggles for the Cubs are more of the same as the team has struggled offensively dating back to September of 2018.

The Cubs acknowledged the fact that there was offensive was broken at the end of the 2019. Despite acknowledging that their offense was broken, the Cubs did little to fix their problems entering the 2020 season and that would be the reason for the team’s continued struggles last year.

Outside of replacing left fielder Kyle Schwarber with free agent Joc Pederson, the Cubs essentially ran it back in 2021 with the same starting lineup. The difference, in 2021, is that Cubs manager Davis Ross has been trying to implement is the mindset that players have at the plate. The mindset that Ross wants the players to have offensively this season is to be selfish.

What does that mean?

Currently, there are two players for the Cubs that are examples of what the correct selfish approach is and what the incorrect selfish approach is.

More from Chicago Cubs

• Chicago Cubs: Who would you keep of Javier Baez or Kris Bryant?
• Chicago Cubs: Trevor Williams could be a hidden gem
• Chicago Cubs: Wild series with the Pittsburgh Pirates ends well
• Chicago Cubs: Opening Day proves team is still broken
• Chicago Cubs: Three young players to follow this year

The Cubs’ player that has embraced the correct selfish approach is third baseman Kris Bryant. Bryant has a slash line of .265/.375/.647/1.022 with 3 home runs through the first 10 games of the season for the Cubs. Bryant appears to be regaining his offensive form after a down 2020 season and that is in large part due to Ross emphasizing a selfish approach for his hitters.

What this means is that Bryant is no longer sitting back waiting for a perfect pitch within a plate appearance. Instead, if a pitcher makes a mistake in the zone, Bryant is going to take advantage of that mistake. Look no further than Bryant’s hard hit percentage for the 2021 season is 39%-a 9% increase from the 30% he had in 2020.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, Bryant is the only hitter that has embraced that form of selfish approach.

For an example of the incorrect selfish approach, look no further than Javier Baez. On the season, Baez has a slash line of .242/.382/.514/.796 with 3 home runs. While Baez has shown the power thus far this season, there is a more concerning trait that could spell doom for the Cubs’ shortstop. Outside of the 3 home runs and 1 double that Baez has this season, the Cubs’ shortstop is having uncompetitive at bat after uncompetitive at bat this season. This is all the result of Baez having the incorrect selfish approach.

Long story short, Baez is essentially swinging at everything. Baez’s walk percentage this season is 2.6% and that is projected to be the lowest percentage of his career. Further complicating matters, Baez’s 43.6 strikeout percentage this season would be a career high. Putting those two numbers together and it is no wonder why Baez’s soft hit percentage of 20% this season is up from the 17.4% he had last season.

Unlike Bryant, Baez is simply swinging at everything with the hope that an opposing pitcher would a mistake. The issue with that approach is opposing pitchers are aware of that fact and thus, any mistake they make are made outside of the strike zone because they know Baez will ultimately swing. That is not the right selfish approach to have.

Related Story: Should Chicago Cubs keep Kris Bryant or Javier Baez?

There is no doubt that Chicago Cubs offense needs to be selfish. But, selfish in the form of taking advantage of a pitcher making a mistake in the strike zone as opposed to waiting for the perfect pitch to hit or simply swinging at everything.

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A police officer wounded in a shooting at a Tennessee high school is a 20-year veteran of the force who worked at the school, authorities said Tuesday.

Knoxville Police Officer Adam Willson was recovering from surgery after being shot in the upper leg at Austin-East Magnet High School on Monday, the department said on Twitter. The school was closed Tuesday and will be closed Wednesday as a state police investigation unfolds.

Willson, a school resource officer, was wounded when a student opened fire on officers responding to a report of a possible gunman at the school about 15 minutes before its 3:30 p.m. dismissal, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David B. Rausch said at a news conference late Monday.

Police found the student in a bathroom and ordered him to come out, but he wouldn’t comply, Rausch said. That’s when the student reportedly opened fire, Rausch said. Police fired back, killing the student, who has not been identified, Rausch said.

Willson is expected to recover and no one else was hurt.

It wasn’t yet clear why the student brought a gun to school or why he fired at officers. It was also not clear if Willson was the officer who shot the student.

“We are grateful for the well wishes,” Knoxville police said in the tweet identifying Willson.

The shooting is the latest blow to a community still reeling from off-campus gun violence that has left three other students from the high school dead this year. Faith leaders organized a prayer meeting Tuesday in Knoxville, which is about 180 miles east of Nashville, to discuss gun violence.

It comes as more classrooms reopen to students after months of remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic, which decreased the number of mass killings in the U.S. The nation has seen series of mass shootings in recent weeks, including eight people killed at three Atlanta-area massage businesses on March 16 and 10 people killed at Colorado supermarket on March 22.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, who represents the Knoxville district and went to Austin-East, said in a statement: “I am at a loss to describe my sadness as yet another horrific act of gun violence has happened in my community,” urging people to “reclaim the sanctity of our beloved neighborhood.”

“This is the fourth unnecessary shooting involving the Austin East community this year and we must make sure we take every step and make every effort to prevent these tragedies from continuing to occur,” McKenzie’s statement released Monday said.

Gov. Bill Lee mentioned the shooting at a Monday news conference. Last week, the Republican governor signed legislation that will make Tennessee the latest state to allow most adults 21 and older to carry handguns — openly or concealed — without first clearing a background check and training.

Lee backed the legislation over objections from law enforcement groups, who argued that the state’s existing permit system provided an important safeguard for knowing who should or shouldn’t be carrying a gun.

When asked earlier this year whether recent mass shootings gave him any concerns about timing, Lee said the increased penalties mean that “we in fact will be strengthening laws that would help prevent gun crimes in the future.”

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Associated Press writers Travis Loller and Kimberlee Kruesi and researchers Monika Mathur and Randy Herschaft contributed to this story.

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BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A white Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb resigned Tuesday.

Kim Potter resigned two days after the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center. Potter, a 26-year veteran, had been on administrative leave following Sunday’s shooting.

The city’s police chief has said he believes Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun when she was going for her Taser. She can be heard on her body camera video shouting “Taser! Taser!”

“Whenever, through the line of duty, someone kills another human being, there must be accountability,” Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott told the “Today” show earlier Tuesday.

Activists and some residents say Wright was racially profiled, and his death has sparked two days of clashes between police and protesters. The shooting happened as the Minneapolis area was already on edge over the trial of the first of four police officers in George Floyd’s death.

Wright was shot as police were trying to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.

“I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” the officer is heard shouting on her body cam footage released Monday. She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police outside his car and gets back behind the wheel.

After firing a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away, and the officer is heard saying, “Holy (expletive)! I shot him.”

Lea este articulo en espanol en La Voz Chicago, un servicio presentado por AARP Chicago.

Wright’s father, Aubrey Wright, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that he rejects the explanation that the officer mistakenly took out her gun.

“I lost my son. He’s never coming back. I can’t accept that. A mistake? That doesn’t even sound right. This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can’t accept that,” he said.

Wright’s family planned to speak again Tuesday alongside the family of George Floyd at the courthouse where the trial is being held for a former Minneapolis police officer charged in his death. Protests erupted for a second night following Sunday’s shooting, heightening anxiety in an area already on edge as the Derek Chauvin trial progresses. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck.

Chauvin and three other officers were fired the day after Floyd’s death. Potter was placed on administrative leave while the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates Wright’s death.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the police union, issued a statement Tuesday saying “no conclusions should be made until the investigation is complete.”

The advent of social media and body cameras has forced police departments to move much quickly than in the past, said Alex Piquero, chairman of the University of Miami’s sociology department.

Potter has experience with investigations into police shootings. Potter was one of the first officers to respond after Brooklyn Center police fatally shot a man who allegedly allegedly tried to stab an officer with a knife in August 2019, according to a report from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

After medics arrived, she told the two officers who shot the man to get into separate squad cars, turn off their body cameras, and not to speak to each other. She was also the police union president for the department and accompanied two other officers involved in the shooting while investigators interviewed them.

Court records show Wright was being sought after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Brooklyn Center is a modest suburb just north of Minneapolis that has seen its demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70% of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Latino.

Wright’s death prompted protests in other U.S. cities, including in Portland, Oregon, where police said a demonstration turned into a riot Monday night, with some in the crowd throwing rocks and other projectiles at officers.

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Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

___

Mohamed Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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