Police officer Kim Potter, 48, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter for the shooting and killing of Daunte Wright, 20, in Brooklyn Centre, Minnesota.
On Wednesday, Potter was arrested and placed into Hennepin County Jail, where it is reported she posted her bond and was released in the afternoon. She has also handed in her letter of resignation from the Brooklyn Center Police Department alongside fellow officer Tim Gannon.
Wright was a father of one, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop. He was pulled over for traffic violations in relation to expired registration tags.
Brooklyn Centre Police Department has claimed in a statement that during their attempt to arrest Wright, Potter “was trying to use their taser, not their gun.”
“One officer discharged their firearm, striking the driver. The vehicle travelled several blocks before striking another vehicle,” the statement said.
Wright died at the scene, and his girlfriend in the passenger seat sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Mother Katie Wright sent me this photo of her son with her grandson Daunte Jr. He’ll be 2 years old in July. pic.twitter.com/w07STKOmks
— Kim Hyatt (@kimvhyatt) April 11, 2021
Graphic body camera footage was later released to the media, in which you can see a single officer pointing a gun directly at Wright while shouting the word “taser” repeatedly. The same officer then says “I just shot him.”
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed that this officer was in fact, Kim Potter.
In a statement to the Washington County Attorney’s Office, prosecutors claimed that the difference between a taser and a handgun would have been clear for an officer with 26-years of experience under their belt.
“She pulled her Glock 9mm handgun with her right hand and pointed it at Wright, saying again that she would tase him,” prosecutors said in a statement.
“Potter said ‘Taser, Taser, Taser,’ and pulled the trigger on her handgun.
“The Taser is yellow with a black grip. Also, the Taser is set in a straight-draw position, meaning Potter would have to use her left hand to pull the Taser out of its holster.”
In Minnesota, the maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is currently set at ten years.
