Minneapolis ex-cop charged
Victim’s family say officer should have known difference between gun and Taser
Awhite former suburban Minneapolis police officer was yesterday charged 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 Centre police officer Kim Potter was filed three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop
The former Brooklyn Centre police chief has said 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 an expired car registration and ended up dead.
Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief, said: “[Potter’s] action caused the unlawful killing of Mr Wright and she must be held accountable.”
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 laid if a person is suspected of causing a death by “culpable negligence” that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause a death.
Potter posted $100,000 bond and was released from the Hennepin County jail, online records showed. She was scheduled to make her initial court appearance today (local time). Her attorney did not respond to messages from The Associated Press.
Potter, 48, and Police Chief Tim Gannon resigned on Tuesday, a day after the city council voted to fire the city manager, who controls the police force. Acting city manager Reggie Edwards said that because Potter resigned, she is entitled to “all accrual and benefits that is due”.
Police say Wright was pulled over for expired tags on Sunday, but they discovered he had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.
Body camera video that Gannon released shows Potter approaching
Wright as he stands outside his car as another officer is arresting him.
As Wright struggles with police, Potter shouts, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing a single shot from a handgun in her right hand. The criminal complaint noted that Potter holstered her handgun on the right side and her Taser on the left. To remove the Taser — which is yellow and has a black grip — Potter would have to use her left hand, the complaint said.
Wright family attorney Ben Crump again disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.
“Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanour warrant,” he said.
Experts say cases of officers mistakenly firing their gun instead of a Taser are rare, usually less than once a year nationwide.
Potter was an instructor with Brooklyn Centre police, according to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. She was training two other officers when they stopped Wright, the association’s leader, Brian Peters, told the Star Tribune.
Brooklyn Centre announced a curfew of 10pm yesterday, for the fourth night in a row.
Mayor Mike Elliott urged people to protest without violence, saying “your voices have been heard”.
Video showed one protester carrying the head of a fake pig on a pole near a fence outside the heavily guarded station while police monitored the crowd from the structure’s rooftop.
Outside Potter’s home in Champlin, north of Brooklyn Centre, concrete barricades and tall metal fencing had been set up and police cars were in the driveway.
About 90 minutes before Tuesday’s curfew, state police announced over a loudspeaker that the demonstration outside the city’s heavily guarded police headquarters had been declared unlawful and ordered the crowds to disperse. Protesters launched fireworks towards the station and threw objects at officers, who launched flashbangs and gas grenades, then marched in a line to force back the crowd. The number of protesters plummeted over the next hour, until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media to leave.
[Potter’s] action caused the unlawful killing of Mr Wright and she must be held accountable. Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief