MINNESOTA- A day after resigning from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, second-degree manslaughter charges have been filed against Kim Potter.
The news first reported by the Star Tribune.
#BREAKING: Officer who shot #DaunteWright will face second-degree manslaughter charge. https://t.co/ECRkBWJ8zm
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) April 14, 2021
Potter shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb on Sunday. Former Police Chief Tim Gannon said Potter mistakenly shot Wright after pulling out her service weapon instead of her taser. Gannon resigned from the department on Tuesday.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said at a news conference that the city had been moving toward firing Potter, a 26-year veteran, when she resigned. Elliott said he hoped her resignation would “bring some calm to the community,” but that he would keep working toward “full accountability under the law.”
Wright was pulled over for having expired license plate stickers but police found that he also had an outstanding warrant.
The warrant was for his failure 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 footage released Monday shows Wright struggling with police when Potter shouts, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police and gets back into the car.
After firing a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away, and Potter says, “Holy (expletive)! I shot him.”
Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the medical examiner.
The Associated Press Contributed to this report.