By Walter Rutledge
Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center police officer will be charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. This comes one day after the 26-year police veteran resigned from the police department. State officials said Ms. Potter would be booked into Hennepin County Jail. She was taken into custody at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Bodycam footage
Mr. Wright was killed Sunday during a traffic stop when Ms. Potter shot him with her two-pound black 9-millimeter Glock instead her eight-ounce yellow Taser. Police described the shooting as an accident, and body-camera footage showed her shouting the word Taser several times before firing her gun. The killing sparked protests and clashes with police on Sunday and Monday nights. Several cities in the region, including Minneapolis, St. Paul and Brooklyn Center, imposed curfews amid the protests.
Ex-officer charged with manslaughter
Ben Crump, who is representing the Wright family, said he appreciated that Washington County Attorney Pete Orput was pursuing justice; but a veteran of the police force knows the difference between a Taser and a gun. “This was no accident. This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force”. If convicted charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison under Minnesota law.
