A judge has ordered that a jury should remain anonymous when presiding over the case against a former Minnesota police officer charged in Daunte Wright‘s death.
Wright, a 20-year-old black motorist, was shot by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter at a traffic stop on April 11. Potter, who is white, is slated to go on trial on Nov. 30 on a charge of second-degree murder. The city’s former police chief said he believed the officer meant to use her Taser when she reached for her gun.
On Tuesday, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu ruled that jurors will only be identified in court by their assigned numbers and won’t release their names or contact information until sometime after the trial concludes. Chu’s order will also have deputies keep people away from the jury throughout the trial during the day, which will be fully sequestered during deliberations, according to the Associated Press.
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The anonymous ruling mirrors the order imposed by Judge Peter Cahill during the murder trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the death of George Floyd earlier this year.
The public will have a large enough window into the trial in the courtroom or in designated overflow rooms, according to Chu. She contended that Potter’s trial doesn’t present the same extraordinary circumstances that resulted in gavel-to-gavel coverage for Chauvin’s trial, denying media requests to broadcast and record the proceedings in the trial.
Under Minnesota court rules, audio and video coverage of a criminal trial are typically blocked unless all parties consent. Potter did not consent.
In April, former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the incident as an “accidental shooting.” Body camera footage released after the incident appears to show 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.”
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If found guilty in the trial, Potter could face up to 10 years in prison.
