Ex-officer who shot Black man charged with manslaughter

Former police chief says Kim Potter intended to use Taser on Daunte Wright, fired her gun instead.

A prosecutor said Wednesday that he charged a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.

The charge against former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter was filed Wednesday, three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd last May, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said.

The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead. However, protesters and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and that it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead.

“Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer,” Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief, said in a statement announcing the charge. “(Potter’s) action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Wright and she must be held accountable.”

Ali said he and Orput met with Wright’s family and assured them that no resources would be spared in prosecuting the case.

Intent isn’t a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge — which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison — can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by “culpable negligence” that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause the death of a person.

At least 60 people were arrested Tuesday after demonstrators took to the streets of Brooklyn Center for a third night.

State and local police said in a news conference just after midnight Tuesday that the majority of the arrests took place in Brooklyn Center for minor charges; most were later reported to be for curfew violation and disorderly conduct, according to local media.