Mostly White jury seated for trial in Daunte Wright’s death
A mostly White jury was seated Friday for the trial of a White suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she drew her handgun by mistake when she fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright following a traffic stop.
Nine of the first 12 jurors seated for Kim Potter’s trial are White — roughly in line with the demographics of surrounding Hennepin County, but notably less diverse than the jury that convicted former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin this spring in the death of George Floyd.
Potter, 49, is charged with firstand second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 shooting in the suburb of Brooklyn Center. Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday.
Legal experts have said juries that are diverse by race, gender and economic background are necessary to minimize bias in the legal system.
The Chauvin jury that was split 5050 between White people and people of color was “mostly just luck of the draw,” said Ted Sampsell-Jones, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul.
He said racial and ethnic diversity matters in terms of the perceived legitimacy of the jury, but attitudes about police and policing are much more important for the case outcome.
“It might be true in general that Black people are more distrustful of police than White people, but it isn’t true as to every individual,” SampsellJones said. “Lots of young White people in Hennepin County are far more progressive and anti-cop than some older Black people, for example.”
Alan Tuerkheimer, a Chicago-based jury consultant, said even a single juror of color can be enough to change the dynamics of deliberations by bringing more depth and another viewpoint to the process.
Potter has said she meant to use her Taser on Wright after he tried to drive away from officers while they were trying to arrest him, but that she grabbed her handgun instead. Her body camera recorded the shooting.
Of the first 12 jurors seated — the ones who will deliberate if no alternates are needed — one juror identifies as Black and two as Asian. The panel is evenly split between men and women. The two alternates are also White.
The jury roughly matches the demographics of Hennepin County, which is about 74% White.
Attorneys and the judge spent considerable time probing potential jurors for their views of protests against police brutality, which were frequent in Minneapolis even before George Floyd’s death.
Questionnaires asked about attitudes toward police, including whether officers should be secondguessed, whether they get the respect they deserve and whether jurors personally trust them.
Juror No. 11, for example, said she “somewhat agreed” that officers should not be second-guessed.
“I think sometimes you just react, and sometimes it might be a wrong reaction, but, you know, mistakes happen,” she said. “People make mistakes.” She was seated after saying she could set that view aside and consider evidence.