Minnesota police chief and officer resign after black man shot dead in Taser ‘mix-up’
A MINNESOTA police chief and the officer who shot dead a black man after “accidentally” firing her handgun instead of a Taser resigned last night after a second night of protests.
Kimberly Potter, a veteran of 26 years with the Brooklyn Center police force and head of the local union, shot Duante Wright in the chest during a traffic stop, prompting riots across Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs.
“I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately,” wrote Ms Potter in a letter to Mike Elliott, Brooklyn Center’s mayor.
Tim Gannon, the police chief, also handed in his resignation in the wake of the public outcry over the department’s handling of the latest police killing.
Mr Elliott said he hoped it would send the message that “we’re taking this situation very seriously” and said the city would “turn over a new leaf ”. When asked by reporters whether he would allow Ms Potter to resign rather than be fired, Mr Elliott responded that he has “not accepted her resignation” yet.
At least 40 people were arrested in the Minneapolis suburb, which is 10 miles from the site of George Floyd’s killing last year, after another night of clashes with law enforcement sparked by the killing of the 20-year-old black man.
The police force claims Ms Potter “accidentally discharged” her gun thinking it was her Taser. However, questions were raised last night about how such an experienced officer could make such a mistake. The man’s father, Aubrey Wright, said he “cannot accept” the explanation. “I lost my son. He’s never coming back. I can’t accept that. A mistake? That doesn’t even sound right. This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can’t accept that,” he told ABC.
Hundreds of protesters clashed with police outside their headquarters on Monday, in defiance of a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor. Officers released tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse the protesters. A further 13 arrests were made in Minneapolis, including for burglaries and curfew violations.
President Joe Biden acknowledged “the anger, pain and trauma amidst the black community” while also saying it “does not justify violence and looting”.
The region remains on edge as the defence in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing Mr Floyd, began presenting its case yesterday. Defence attorney Eric Nelson sought to argue that Mr Floyd’s death was caused by drugs and heart problems and not by Mr Chauvin’s kneeling on his neck.
Meanwhile Virginia’s attorney general began an inquiry into a possible “pattern of misconduct” by police in the town of Windsor after officers drew their guns and used pepper spray on a black uniformed US Army officer during a traffic stop.
‘I lost my son. He’s never coming back. A mistake? This officer has been on the force for 26 years’