Doc Rivers: 'Improving' Culture Is Important After Police Killing of Daunte Wright

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers called on Americans to collectively confront the larger systemic issues plaguing the country following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on Sunday.

"To me, improving our culture as a society is really important. Not canceling it, but improving it," Rivers told reporters Monday.

He went on to draw a comparison with Germany, which has banned the usage of any symbols relating to the Nazi regime. The United States, meanwhile, constructed statues and monuments to honor Confederate soldiers.

Across the U.S., people are calling for the removal of Confederate statues because of what they represent. The movement isn't limited to this country, either, with others around the world coming to terms with the role racism had in shaping history.

The shooting of Wright comes not long after nationwide protests to demand action after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Brooklyn Center police said they pulled Wright over for an expired tag. His mother, Katie Wright, said he called her after being pulled over and told her it was because of air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.

Officers attempted to place Wright into custody after discovering he had an outstanding warrant. Wright instead reentered his vehicle, at which point an officer shot him from close range.

Police chief Tim Gannon told reporters Monday the officer in question believed they were discharging a Taser instead of a firearm.

Brooklyn Center is a suburb of Minneapolis, where Derek Chauvin is standing trial for the killing of Floyd last May. Chauvin is facing charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after a video showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes during an arrest.