Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer, was charged last Wednesday with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that has ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.
Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned last Tuesday.
The charge against Potter was filed three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for ex-officer Derek Chauvin, charged with killing George Floyd last May.
Wright was killed after a traffic stop. Police say Wright was pulled over for expired tags on Sunday, but they sought to arrest him after discovering he had an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.
Wright’s death is another police-involved fatal shooting of a Black American that should have never happened.
Floyd was accused of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes from the grocery store. Wright was stopped for expired car registration. Both ended up dead.
There’s no excuse for the shooting death of Wright. How could such an experienced officer make such a mistake?
Police officials said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright, but fired her handgun instead. Potter, 48, was an instructor with Brooklyn Center police, according to the Minnesota Police. She was training two other officers when they stopped Wright.
Body camera video that Gannon released Monday shows Potter approaching Wright as he stands outside of his car while another officer is arresting him.
As Wright struggles with police, Potter shouts, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing a single shot from a handgun in her right hand.
The news release announcing the charge noted that Potter holstered her handgun on the right side and her Taser on the left. The handles of each weapon faced to Potter’s rear. The Taser is yellow with a black grip and would require Potter to remove it from her holster with her left hand, the county attorney’s statement said.
Wright family attorney Ben Crump said the family appreciates the criminal case, but he again disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.
“Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant,” he said.
Intent isn’t a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge — which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison — can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by “culpable negligence” that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause the death of a person.
Potter must be held accountable for killing Wright.
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