Daunte Wright Claimed He Was Stopped Over An Air Freshener. It Could Happen To You

Daunte Wright was on the phone with his mother during the last moments of his life on Sunday in Minnesota and stated that he believed he was being pulled over due to a hanging air freshener he had in his vehicle.

He believed his air freshener was the culprit of his traffic stop because Minnesota law prohibits any hanging items from rearview mirrors in any vehicle because it could obstruct the driver’s vision, according to CNN.

Other states that enforce this same law include California, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

"A person shall not drive or operate any motor vehicle with ... any objects suspended between the driver and the windshield, other than: sun visors; rearview mirrors; driver feedback and safety monitoring equipment when mounted immediately behind, slightly above, or slightly below the rearview mirror," Minnesota's law states.

Not only have objects on the mirror obstructed driver’s vision, but air fresheners, specifically, have caused other issues when it comes to routine traffic stops, predominantly in the Black community.

"We have concerns that police appear to have used dangling air fresheners as an excuse for making a pretextual stop, something police do too often to target Black people," the ACLU of Minnesota said Sunday.

Many have been pulled over, just to be arrested and charged for other reasons than a hanging tree freshener.

Police ended up shooting and killing Wright on Sunday afternoon. His mother stated to ACLU that while on the phone with her son, she could hear him asking why he was being asked to step out of the vehicle for a hanging air freshener, then all she heard was scuffling and a gunshot.

Brooklyn Center police stated that when they pulled Wright over, it showed he had an outstanding warrant, as to why they were asking him to step out of the vehicle. Wright had re-entered his vehicle after officers attempted to take him into custody.