BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. – The former Brooklyn Center police officer charged with second-degree manslaughter in the shooting of Daunte Wright, 20, a Black man, made her first court appearance Thursday.
Kim Potter appeared briefly on Zoom for a largely procedural hearing. She was seated in the office of her attorney, Earl Gray, and spoke only to confirm her presence. Her next court date is scheduled for May 17.
Potter, 48, who is white, fatally shot Wright during a traffic stop Sunday. In charging documents, prosecutors said Potter’s “culpable negligence” caused Wright’s death and “created an unreasonable risk” when she shot him instead of using her Taser.
Body-worn camera footage shows Potter pointing her firearm at Wright as she shouts “Taser.” Before resigning, the city’s police chief described the incident as “an accidental discharge.”
At a news conference Thursday, Wright’s mother, Katie, said she feels like she will never get justice for her son. “Justice would be bringing our son home to us,” she said.
Katie Wright said she wants accountability to the highest level.
“If that even happens, we’re still going to bury our son,” she said.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump compared the case against Potter to that of officer Mohamed Noor, a Black Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot a white woman, Justine Ruszczyk Damond, in 2017.
Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 12½ years in prison. He testified he shot Damond when she approached his squad car in an alley. He said he heard a bang on the side of the driver’s side of the squad car and thought Damond was a threat.
Crump criticized police’s explanation of the shooting, holding up printed-out photos of a Glock pistol and a Taser. Potter used excessive force in the stop and Wright should not have been pulled over for a minor infraction such as an expired car registration during the COVID-19 pandemic, Crump said.
“So it’s very difficult for this family to accept that this is an accident when you have a veteran who’s been on the police for 26 years,” Crump said.
The Wright family was going to the funeral home to see Daunte’s body for the first time Thursday, Crump said. Wright’s funeral will be held April 22; civil rights leader Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy.
Potter could face up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine if found guilty. She was arrested Wednesday and released on a $100,000 bond.
What we know:Ex-officer Kim Potter released on $100,000 bond, faces second-degree manslaughter charge in Daunte Wright’s death
“We will vigorously prosecute this case and intend to prove that officer Potter abrogated her responsibility to protect the public when she used her firearm rather than her Taser,” said Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief. “Her action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Wright, and she must be held accountable.”
The Washington County Attorney Office’s is handling the charges against Potter after the Hennepin County attorney referred the case, following an agreement among prosecutors in the Minneapolis area to refer such cases of police use of deadly force.
Wright’s death sparked protests around Minneapolis, an already tense area as the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd is in its third week.
Potter’s attorney, Gray, also represents Thomas Lane, a former Minneapolis police officer charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Gray didn’t respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Thursday.
Potter resigned Tuesday amid calls for her firing. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon also stepped down, and the city’s manager, Curt Boganey, was fired.
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Wright’s family described Daunte as a loving father to his son, Daunte Jr., 2. He enjoyed sports and spending time with his family during the holidays.
Katie Wright said she was on the phone with her son after he was pulled over. He told his mother he was stopped for having air fresheners on his rearview mirror. Police said the traffic stop was because of an expired registration.
Daunte Wright had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant on a weapons charge, which prompted the officers to try to arrest him.
Katie Wright said she told her son to give the phone to officers, so she could give them insurance information. She heard the officers tell Daunte to exit the vehicle. Then she heard a scuffle, and the phone disconnected. When she called back, the woman in the car with Daunte answered via video call and showed his body in the driver’s seat.
Potter’s body camera footage shows two other officers approaching Wright’s car. As the one on the driver side begins to arrest Wright, he breaks free, gets back in the vehicle and a struggle ensues.
After Potter pulls out her firearm and points it at Wright, she shouts, “I’ll tase you! I’ll tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” After she shoots Wright, he drives away and Potter exclaims, “Holy (expletive), I just shot him.”
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Wright’s shooting is at least the 16th case of “weapons confusion” in the USA since 2001, and he is the fourth person to have died in such incidents, according to data compiled by the website FatalEncounters.org and University of Colorado professor Paul Taylor, who tracks such cases.
Wednesday night, a crowd gathered again outside the Brooklyn Center police headquarters for a fourth night, demanding justice and accountability. A curfew was in place again and police issued dispersal orders around 9 p.m. Police said 24 people were arrested.
for on charges ranging from curfew violations to rioting.
Contributing: Elinor Aspegren
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