Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, who was charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of Daunte Wright, made her first court appearance Thursday.
Potter, a white, 26-year veteran of the department who resigned on Tuesday, appeared remotely with her attorney, Earl Gray. She was dressed in a flannel button-down. During the hearing, the judge reminded Potter that under the terms of her bail agreement, she is not allowed to possess, use, or transport any firearms, ammunition, or explosives.
The defense also agreed that it’ll appear in person for the next hearing, which is scheduled for May 17 and will be in front of Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu, according to the Washington Post. If she is found guilty, Potter, 48, faces up to 10 years in prison.
DAUNTE WRIGHT SLAYING SPARKS NEW ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ PUSH
Police pulled over Wright, a 20-year-old black man, on Sunday for a traffic infraction, and a subsequent background check showed a warrant out for his arrest, which was for carrying a firearm without a permit. As officers tried to handcuff him, Wright twisted away and slipped back into the driver’s door, and in an ensuing struggle, Potter fired one round, which hit him.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who has since resigned, described it as an “accidental shooting.” The body camera footage shows the struggle between Potter and Wright, in which she shouts, “I’ll tase you! I’ll tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” and moments later: “Holy s—. I shot him.”
“I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately,” Potter said in her resignation letter.
Around the time of the Thursday hearing, Wright’s family held a press conference.
“I do want accountability at the highest level, but even then, when that happens, if that even happens, we’re still going to bury our son,” his mother, Katie Wright, said. “We’re still not going to be able to see our baby boy. So when people say ‘justice,’ I just shake my head.”
Ben Crump, the family’s attorney, expressed a similar statement at the time of Potter’s arrest.
“While we appreciate that the district attorney is pursuing justice for Daunte, no conviction can give the Wright family their loved one back,” the attorney for Wright’s family and his co-counsel said in a statement Wednesday. “This was no accident. This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force. Driving while Black continues to result in a death sentence. A 26-year veteran of the force knows the difference between a taser and a firearm. Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant.”
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Each night since the shooting, there have been violent demonstrations in Brooklyn Center, only miles away from where George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. Dozens have been arrested daily amid curfews and declarations of unlawful assembly.
