BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn.—The former police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the killing that has sparked three nights of protests in this Minneapolis suburb.
Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, will stay in jail until her first court appearance Thursday, said Washington County Attorney Peter Orput. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison under Minnesota law. Ms. Potter resigned Tuesday.
Police have described the shooting of Mr. Wright as accidental, with Ms. Potter mistaking her gun for a Taser; body-camera footage showed Ms. Potter, 48, shouting the word Taser several times before firing her gun.
“Officer Potter abrogated her responsibility to protect the public when she used her firearm rather than her Taser,” said Imran Ali, the assistant criminal division chief in the Washington County Attorney’s office, in a statement. “Her action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Wright and she must be held accountable.”
Ms. Potter’s lawyer, Earl Gray, didn’t respond to requests for comment. His fees are being paid for by the legal-defense fund for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, a statewide group representing rank-and-file municipal police officers, the group said.
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