Democratic congresswoman urges protesters to stay on streets if Derek Chauvin is cleared

A veteran Democratic congresswoman has urged demonstrators to become more confrontational if Derek Chauvin is cleared of killing George Floyd.

Maxine Waters, who has represented her California district since 1991, joined a crowd in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota protesting the last week's police shooting of Daunte Wright.

Mr Wright, 20, an Afro-American, was shot dead by Kimberley Potter, a veteran police officer who said she had accidentally fired her gun, thinking it was a taser. Potter, who has since resigned, is facing charges of second-degree manslaughter.

The incident triggered days of protests in a state already on high alert pending the verdict in the case of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, an unarmed black man last year.

"I’m going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” Ms Waters said on Saturday.

“We’ve got to get justice in this country and we cannot allow these killings to continue.”

Asked what demonstrators should do over the days ahead, she continued: “We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.

“I hope we’re going to get a verdict that will say guilty, guilty, guilty,” in the Chauvin trial. “And if we don’t, we cannot go away.”

Ms Waters remarks came amid a backdrop of renewed protests across the US over a series of police shootings with unrest reported in Oakland, California and Chicago.

Lawyers in the Chauvin case are due to present their closing argumentson Monday, before the jury retires to consider its verdict.