BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Crowds of mourners and protesters gathered in a Minneapolis suburb where the family of a 20-year-old man said he died after being shot by police before getting back into his car and driving away, then crashing several blocks away. The family of Daunte Wright said he was later pronounced dead.

The death sparked protests in Brooklyn Center into the early hours of Monday morning, and stores were broken into, as Minneapolis was already on edge and midway through the trial of the first of four police officers in George Floyd’s death. Brooklyn Center is a city of about 30,000 people located on the northwest border of Minneapolis.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tweeted he was praying for Wright’s family “as our state mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement.”

Police didn’t immediately identify Wright or disclose his race, but some protesters who gathered near the scene waved flags and signs reading “Black Lives Matter.” Others walked peacefully with their hands held up. On one street, written in multi-colored chalk: “Justice for Daunte Wright.”

Demonstrators gathered shortly after the shooting and crash, with some jumping on top of police cars and confronting officers. Marchers also descended upon the Brooklyn Center police department building, where rocks and other objects were thrown at officers, Minnesota Department of Public Safety commissioner John Harrington said at a news conference. The protesters had largely dispersed by 1:15 a.m. Monday, he said.

Harrington added that about 20 businesses had been broken into at the city’s Shingle Creek shopping center. He said law enforcement agencies were coordinating to tame the unrest, and the National Guard was activated.

Brooklyn Center police said in a statement that officers had stopped a motorist shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. After determining the driver had an outstanding warrant, police tried to arrest the driver. The driver reentered the vehicle and an officer fired at the vehicle, striking the driver, police said. The vehicle traveled several blocks before striking another vehicle.

Police said the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the person’s name following a preliminary autopsy and family notification. A female passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash.

AP

Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, huddled with loved ones near the scene and pleaded for her son’s body to be removed from the street, the Star Tribune reported. She said her son had called her when he was getting pulled over, and she heard scuffling before the call ended. When she called back, she said his girlfriend told her that her son had been shot.

Carolyn Hanson lives near the crash scene and told the newspaper that she saw officers pull the man out of the car and perform CPR. Hanson said a passenger who got out was covered in blood.

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott announced a curfew in the city until 6 a.m. Monday. In a tweet he said, “We want to make sure everyone is safe. Please be safe and please go home.”

Police said Brooklyn Center officers wear body-worn cameras and they also believe dash cameras were activated during the incident. The department said it has asked the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate.

The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd’s death, was slated to continue Monday. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck. Prosecutors say Floyd was pinned for 9 minutes, 29 seconds.

Harrington said more National Guard members would be deployed around the city and in Brooklyn Center.

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Chicago Bears Rumors: 3 big trades that aren’t too late to make by Ryan Heckman

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 121-117 on Sunday night, giving the Wolves just their 14th win on the season.

The Chicago Bulls’ diagnosis for bad defense is now even worse than initially anticipated.

The Timberwolves have the 22nd ranked offense in the NBA at 110.2 points per game and they are the third-worst shooting team in the NBA, averaging 44.9 percent from the field.

The Bulls just let them have 121 points in the game and allowed them to shoot 49.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc. The game-changer for the Wolves was free-throw shooting. The Bulls handed them 25 attempts at the line off of 19 fouls and the Timberwolves made every single shot.

Zach LaVine kept them in this game himself. He scored an impressive 14 points in the third quarter, closing the 11-point gap the Timberwolves created going into halftime. LaVine ended with 30 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. He shot just under 50 percent from the field, but 25 percent from downtown. He attempted and missed just one free throw on the night.

Chicago Bulls

117

Minnesota Timberwolves

121

If there was a game ball to give out after losing to the worst team in the NBA, it would go to Troy Brown. Brown scored 15 points on 6/7 shooting from the field, tacking on seven rebounds and two assists. His most impressive attribution to the night was his defense which something head coach Billy Donovan urged him to implement when he first arrived at the Bulls. Brown took a lot out of D’Angelo Russell, even though he scored 27 points off the bench.

The bench scored a terrific 50 points for the Bulls in this one. Brown (15), Theis (13), and White (11) were the only bench players in double figures. Thaddeus Young and Williams uncharacteristically slacked hard on offense, combining for just nine points (all scored by Young).

Let’s talk defense.

We can chat about offense all day long, but that’s not the problem. The problem here is defense and it’s a big problem. Just check back the statistics on the Timberwolves to see why it’s a problem.

Man-to-man defense. Ricky Rubio sticks out like a sore thumb in the box scores. The main issue with Rubio is that he cashed in five of his six three-point attempts. Rubio this season is shooting 27.9 percent from behind the arc so he should not be putting down five against the Bulls. As a team, the Wolves shot 44.4 percent from three, making 16/36 together. The Bulls are missing their assignments.

Karl-Anthony Towns was another issue as well. He nearly put up a triple-double, scoring 27 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists on the night. Nikola Vucevic had a tough time guarding him in the paint which is something he needs to improve on. KAT also threw down an emphatic jam over Vucevic, simply reiterating Vucevic’s need to work on rim protection.

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS. ???

pic.twitter.com/K0TFlCgvgF

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 12, 2021

The defensive shifts were poor in this one. On one play in the fourth quarter, Tomas Satoransky missed help-side defense, allowing KAT to score an easy layup down the lane over LaVine. These types of defensive shifts were frequent and costly for the Bulls.

Another problem on defense for the Bulls was fouling. The Bulls fouled the Timberwolves 19 times on the night. They allowed the Timberwolves to shoot 25 free throw attempts against them. The Bulls themselves shot just over half of those attempts with just 13 free throw attempts.

In a nutshell, the Bulls’ defense was atrocious. This led to their continued bad habit of rushing the offense once they’re down in late-game situations. LaVine was able to bury some pretty rushed shots but patience and composure are something the Bulls need to work on. Alas, it all comes back to defense to support that issue.

Related Story: Zach LaVine’s 50 points wasn’t enough for the Chicago Bulls

The Bulls’ loss is quite worrisome. In the meantime, the Bulls will travel south to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday which is their last away game before playing their next three after that at the United Center.

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Fifty-six freely downloadable in-store tapes hosted by the Internet Archive include the soundtracks of 30-year-old Bluelight Specials.

I prefer collecting music on physical media—I like holding a vinyl record or cassette tape in my hands, and I enjoy the way the sound disintegrates when tapes get worn or LPs get scratchy.…Read More

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The woman was in a crash Monday in the 3900 block of South King Drive, Chicago Fire officials said.

A woman was pulled out her vehicle after a crash Monday in Bronzeville on the South Side.

About 2 a.m, the woman was in a crash in the 3900 block of South King Drive, Chicago Fire officials said.

Firefighters pulled her out of the back seat of the vehicle, fire officials said.

She suffered multiple fractures and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.

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Four vehicles crashed into each other Monday in the 6900 block of South Normal Avenue, fire officials said.

Seven people, including two children, were injured in a multi-vehicle crash early Monday in Englewood on the South Side.

About 1 a.m., four vehicles crashed into each other in the 6900 block of South Normal Avenue, Chicago Fire officials said.

Seven people were injured in the crash, including two children that were transported to Comer Children’s Hospital, fire officials said.

One person was transported on serious to critical condition, fire officials said.

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A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday in the 200 block of West 37th Street.

Three people were killed and twenty-two others wounded in shootings across Chicago this weekend.

In the most recent fatal attack, a 54-year-old man was shot to death early Sunday in South Shore.

The man was standing outside about 12:15 a.m. in the 6700 block of South Jeffery Boulevard when someone shot him, Chicago police said. He sustained nine gunshot wounds to the back and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A witness told officers they saw the gunman fire shots from inside a gray Chrysler, according to police.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as Harold Green of South Shore.

On Saturday, a woman was killed and another wounded in a shooting in Lawndale on the West Side.

About 9:05 p.m., they were standing in the 2300 block of South Kirkland Avenue, when they heard several shots and felt a pain, police said.

One woman, 29, was struck in the back, each arm, and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified her as Samone Hill.

The second woman, 28, was struck in the lower right leg, and taken to the same hospital where she was stabilized.

A shooting left a 17-year-old boy dead Friday night in Bridgeport on the South Side.

The teen and two others were sitting in a parked vehicle about 9:45 p.m. in the 200 block of West 37th Street when a black Dodge Durango pulled up and two men exited and began shooting at them, police said.

Davion Ward, 17, was struck in the back and was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A 16-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the head, and the other person, a man between 18 and 20 years old, was struck in the chest, police said. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

In nonfatal attacks, a teenage boy was shot Saturday morning in Lawndale on the West Side.

The boy, 15, was shot in the lower leg about 5:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Kostner Avenue, Chicago police said. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in good condition.

Earlier Saturday morning, a man was shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side.

The 34-year-old was standing outside about 4 a.m. in the 100 block of East 119th Street when someone inside a red-colored vehicle fired shots, Chicago police said. He was struck five times and taken to Roseland Hospital, where he was stabilized.

In the weekend’s earliest reported shooting, a person was shot Friday night on the Eisenhower Expressway on the West Side.

The driver was shot about 9:30 p.m. near Cicero Avenue, and their injuries were not life-threatening, according to Illinois State Police.

At least sixteen more people were wounded in shootings between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday in Chicago.

Thirty-four people were shot, eight fatally, last weekend in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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The $30 million venture near McCormick Place promises an immersive experience in virtual reality.

Scott Greenberg is convinced he’s getting in early on something new and big.

He’s a real estate developer, and they are known for public shows of confidence and proclamations that what they’re working on will have a great economic impact and possibly benefit all humankind. Except that what they’re working on is seldom unique and can’t possibly match the hype.

Greenberg, however, is planning something near McCormick Place that you don’t see every day. It could pioneer a new business niche in Chicago, with substantial job prospects and opportunities for community events.

His project is a $30 million esports arena at 2500-48 S. Wabash Ave., covering 108,000 square feet. With his approvals from the city now in place, Greenberg can start making construction plans. He wants to begin this summer for an opening in fall 2022, provided the COVID-19 pandemic cooperates. “I’m thinking that will be well in the rearview mirror by then,” he said. If not, he’ll look into operating at reduced capacity.

His facility will be two stories, with an existing building at 2540 S. Wabash Ave. renovated and attached to new construction to the north. It will have a ticketed capacity of 1,040. This isn’t for drop-ins; just like at the United Center, access will be limited to employees and ticket holders.

Sun-Times file

Those are some particulars for a project that’s already been in the news. But to appreciate its scale, you have to peek inside. Greenberg and Chris Lai — co-CEOs at Smash Interactive, the company formed for the arena — accommodated with descriptions.

Imagine large floors to roam in virtual reality. You would be outfitted with goggles, a backpack and whatever props the game requires, such as a wand or a toy gun. (Yes, there will be pretend violence.)

It will use technology the company has patented. Lai said it’s been in development for five years at his company Mass VR, which Smash has acquired. It was tried out at a pop-up gaming center at Skokie’s Westfield Old Orchard mall that operated before COVID-19. A key point was to make sure no participant got motion sickness. Lai said no one did.

Another highlight will be a 30-by-75-foot LED screen above a live stage. Those seated in this area can watch the elite or professional players compete. The second floor would include lounge and VIP areas for viewing the action below. All around would be nooks for private events, a section for Smash Interactive’s offices and bar and restaurant facilities. The site plan also describes two studios for virtual mountain climbing.

Greenberg, president of Lincolnshire-based ECD, ordinarily develops hotels, offices, apartments and shopping centers. Asked if the arena is his most unusual venture, he said, “Yes, it is. This is something that can change the world.”

It doesn’t sound so expansive if you consider esports is drawing a greater share of people’s time and entertainment dollars. The global esports audience is 474 million, said the consulting firm Newzoo, and should be 577 million by 2024.

The venue, called Surge, can host events for schools and organizations. Greenberg and Lai foresee an esports tournament endorsed by the Illinois High School Association, March madness on mainframes. Another possibility is training sessions for first responders. The project has support from schools and universities that see it as a resource for students in game development.

“We’re trying to create an experience for people,” Greenberg said. “When they go to the venue, if they don’t know anything about the game, they will know somewhat what’s going on.” Lai sees it as an extension of the Top Golf business model that uses technology to enhance physical activity.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

Massive esports events have been held at stadiums such as the United Center, the Staples Center and Madison Square Garden, but Lai said there’s a need for smaller, purpose-built venues that can be used constantly and with less cost because the gear is already set up.

While the activity is gaming, it’s not the sense of the word that means gambling. Any wagers will be private transactions, Greenberg said. He said games played will be popular, mainstream products without the gore or misogyny that has brought critical attention to the industry.

Lai is an entrepreneur who’s also a co-founder of the red-light camera company SafeSpeed, which has been involved in a public corruption probe involving activities of a former partner now cooperating with federal authorities. The SafeSpeed affiliation was not an issue for city officials when considering the esports arena. “This is a completely different stack of investors and owners,” Lai said of Smash Interactive. The arena will not require public subsidies.

For urban development here, it’s something new under the sun. Fans can have fun and maybe get in some exercise.

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