“He Deserved to Live; He Deserved a Chance to Heal”

In my neighborhood last Wednesday night, just a few blocks from my home, 20-year-old Tekle Sundberg experienced a mental health crisis and began shooting a gun in his apartment. Because some of the shots he fired went through his apartmemt walls, Tekle’s actions endangered his fellow residents, including children.

I was on the nearby Franklin Ave. Bridge with my friend and neighbor Kurt at the time Tekle started shooting. We were with others watching the Buck Moon begin its majestic rise above the Mississippi River. Our quiet summer evening was suddenly shattered by the wail of multiple police car sirens and the persistent drone of a helicopter overhead.

Tekle’s apartment complex was quickly evacuated and a tense stand-off with police began. Tekle’s parents arrived but were told by police that they could not attempt to approach or speak face-to-face with their son. Hours passed. Then at 4:30 a.m on Thursday, Tekle was shot dead in his apartment by two police snipers positioned on a nearby roof.

“We know Tekle is an imperfect human, as we’re all imperfect humans,” said Cindy Sundberg, Tekle’s mother. “He did not deserve to be picked off like an animal from a rooftop.”

No, he didn’t.

Following is a 4-minute interview with Tekle’s parents and siblings. A number of hard truths about the state of American society as it pertains to Black lives and Black bodies are laid bare in this interview. I think you’ll find that watching it will be the most powerful, informative, and heartwrenching four minutes you’ll spend today.





Related Off-site Links:
Parents of Tekle Sundberg in the Dark Over His Killing by Police – Adam Uren (Bring Me the News, July 15, 2022).
Family Calls for Release of Video of Police Shooting of Tekle Sundberg – MPR News (July 17, 2022).
During Rally for Tekle Sundberg, Neighbor Expresses Frustration That He Shot Into Her Apartment – KARE 11 News (July 18, 2022).

Related Wild Reed posts:
• Remembering Philando Castile and Demanding Abolition of the System That Targets and Kills People of Color
• Nancy A. Heitzeg: Quote of the Day – March 31, 2016
• “This Has Got to Stop”

See also the previous chronilogically-ordered Wild Reed posts:
• Rallying in Solidarity with Eric Garner and Other Victims of Police Brutality
• In Minneapolis, Rallying in Solidarity with Black Lives in Baltimore
• “Say Her Name” Solidarity Action for Sandra Bland
• “We Are All One” – #Justice4Jamar and the 4th Precinct Occupation
• Something to Think About – March 25, 2016
• “This Doesn't Happen to White People”
• “I Can’t Breathe”: The Murder of George Floyd
• He Called Mama. He Has Called Up Great Power
• Honoring George Floyd
• “New and Very Dangerous”: The Extreme Right-Wing Infiltration of the George Floyd Protests
• Mayor Melvin Carter: “The Anger Is Real, and I Share It With You”
• Marianne Williamson: Quote of the Day – June 2, 2020
• Trevor Noah on the “Dominoes of Racial Injustice”
• Emma Jordan-Simpson: “There Will Be No Peace Without Justice”
• Out and About – Spring 2020
• The Language of the Oppressor
• A Very Intentional First Day of the Year
• The Problem Is Ultimately Bigger Than Individuals. It’s Systemic
• Minnesota Governor Tim Walz: “We Need to Make Systemic Changes”
• “Let This Be a Turning Point”
• “And Still and All, It Continues”
• Remembering George Floyd on the First Anniversary of His Murder
• “An Abolitionist Demand”: Progressive Perspectives on Transforming Policing in the U.S.
• Hamilton Nolan: Quote of the Day – August 3, 2021
• Love, Justice, and Amir Locke