Former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter, who was charged in connection to the death of Daunte Wright, is scheduled to appear in Hennepin County District Court on Monday for a pretrial hearing.
Officers stopped Wright, 20, on April 11 for driving with an expired registration. A subsequent background check during the traffic stop showed two outstanding warrants, including one for illegal ownership of a firearm.
As officers tried to handcuff him, Wright twisted away and slipped back into the driver’s door. In an ensuing struggle, Potter, 48, fired one round, which fatally hit Wright.
BROOKLYN CENTER APPROVES ‘UNARMED CIVILIAN TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT’ IN WAKE OF DAUNTE WRIGHT’S DEATH
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who has since resigned, described it as an “accidental shooting.” In body camera footage that shows the struggle between Potter and Wright, Potter can be heard shouting, “I’ll tase you! I’ll tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” and moments later: “Holy s—. I shot him.”
If found guilty, Potter faces up to 10 years in prison.
Wright’s death occurred during the final days of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer accused of murdering George Floyd on May 25, 2020, only miles away. Chauvin was found guilty of third-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter charges and is awaiting sentencing.
In response to Wright’s death, Brooklyn Center approved a slew of police reforms over the weekend.
City Council members voted 4-1 on Saturday to move forward with a “Community Safety and Violence Prevention Resolution,” which explains that the area does “not rely solely on our armed law enforcement officers.”
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The city will begin to utilize an unarmed traffic branch to enforce non-moving violations as a way to reduce the number of stops conducted by the police, and the city has created a “Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention,” which is set to oversee “all city agencies and city efforts regarding community health and public safety.”
