Kimberly Potter’s Trial for the Death of Daunte Wright: What We Know

The proceedings of Kimberly Potter, a erstwhile constabulary serviceman facing manslaughter charges aft she appeared to mistake her weapon for her Taser and fatally changeable Daunte Wright, began with assemblage enactment connected Tuesday.

Ms. Potter, 49, was arrested successful April, respective days aft she changeable Mr. Wright, 20, during a postulation halt successful a Minneapolis suburb aft Mr. Wright broke escaped from different serviceman who was trying to handcuff him. As Mr. Wright got backmost into the driver’s spot of his car, Ms. Potter called retired a warning, suggesting that she was utilizing her Taser, and fired a azygous shot, sidesplitting Mr. Wright.

The shooting took spot connected a Sunday day successful Brooklyn Center, Minn., amid the proceedings of Derek Chauvin, a erstwhile Minneapolis constabulary serviceman who was yet convicted of murdering George Floyd.

The sidesplitting of Mr. Wright, who was Black, by Ms. Potter, who is white, drew thousands of demonstrators to the Brooklyn Center Police Department for a week. At night, radical threw h2o bottles, rocks and different items astatine a enactment of constabulary officers stationed successful beforehand of the building; the constabulary fired teardrop gas, foam bullets and different projectiles astatine demonstrators and arrested hundreds of radical that week.

On Tuesday, some defence lawyers for the erstwhile constabulary serviceman and prosecutors began to interrogation imaginable jurors for Ms. Potter’s trial, which is to commencement successful earnest connected Dec. 8 with opening statements.

What happened successful the shooting?

Ms. Potter, who resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department soon aft the shooting, had been grooming different officer, Anthony Luckey, connected April 11 erstwhile they pulled implicit Mr. Wright.

Prosecutors person said that Officer Luckey told Mr. Wright that helium was being pulled implicit due to the fact that the registration of the Buick helium was driving had expired, arsenic indicated by an outdated sticker tab connected the car’s licence plate, and due to the fact that of an aerial freshener that was dangling from his rearview mirror, which is simply a postulation violation.

The officers ran Mr. Wright’s sanction successful their machine strategy and recovered that a justice had issued a warrant for his apprehension aft helium missed a tribunal day implicit 2 misdemeanor charges. Those charges, of carrying a pistol without a licence and moving distant from the police, stemmed from an brushwood with Minneapolis constabulary officers successful June 2020.

The assemblage cam footage showed Officer Luckey attempting to propulsion Mr. Wright from the car arsenic Ms. Potter drew a limb and aimed it astatine Mr. Wright. She shouted, “I’ll Tase you!” and past “Taser! Taser! Taser!” earlier firing a slug into Mr. Wright’s chest.

After Ms. Potter fired the gun, the video shows, she cursed and said, “I conscionable changeable him.” Officer Luckey and a sergeant who had arrived astatine the country appeared stunned. After the changeable was fired, Mr. Wright’s car moved down the street, coming to a halt erstwhile it struck different car.

In the transgression ailment filed against Ms. Potter, a peculiar cause with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension described further assemblage camera footage that has not been released publicly. The agent, Charles Phill, wrote that Ms. Potter, moments aft the shooting, had utilized an expletive, lamenting that she had “grabbed the incorrect gun” and, a infinitesimal later, had said, “I’m going to spell to prison.”

Mr. Wright was pronounced dormant astatine the country astatine 2:18 p.m., 16 minutes aft helium was shot.

What are the charges and imaginable sentences?

Prosecutors successful the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office person filed 2 felony charges against Ms. Potter: first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter.

To convict Ms. Potter of first-degree manslaughter, jurors would request to find that Ms. Potter had caused Mr. Wright’s decease portion recklessly handling her weapon with “such unit and violence” that it was “reasonably foreseeable” that idiosyncratic would beryllium killed oregon endure large bodily harm.

To convict her of the lesser complaint of second-degree manslaughter, jurors would request to find that Ms. Potter had caused Mr. Wright’s decease done negligence, had created “an unreasonable risk” and had consciously taken the accidental of sidesplitting idiosyncratic oregon inflicting large bodily harm.

Neither complaint suggests that she intended to termination Mr. Wright.

The modular condemnation for a condemnation first-degree manslaughter is astir 7 years, though the maximum condemnation is 15 years. For second-degree manslaughter, the modular condemnation is 4 years successful situation and the maximum is 10 years.

If Ms. Potter is convicted, the nonstop condemnation would beryllium up to a judge, though prosecutors person said they program to question a condemnation that is harsher than the modular sentence. They person besides indicated that authorities instrumentality would necessitate Ms. Potter to service astatine slightest 3 years successful situation if she is convicted of either charge.

When Ms. Potter was archetypal arrested, she was charged lone with second-degree manslaughter. But aft Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s lawyer general, took implicit the case, prosecutors with his bureau added the much superior manslaughter charge.

Who mightiness attest astatine trial, and who are the lawyers?

After 12 jurors are selected for the trial, prosecutors and Ms. Potter’s lawyers volition marque opening statements and telephone witnesses.

Among the witnesses who could beryllium indispensable to the lawsuit are the 2 officers who were with Ms. Potter during the postulation stop. Other imaginable witnesses whitethorn beryllium supervisors who worked with Ms. Potter arsenic good arsenic Mr. Wright’s father, Arbuey Wright.

Ms. Potter’s defence lawyers person filed a database of 18 imaginable witnesses with the court, including Timothy Gannon, who resigned arsenic main of the Brooklyn Center Police Department aft the shooting.

Representing Ms. Potter are Paul Engh and Earl Gray, lawyers who are portion of the ineligible defence money of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, a radical that represents thousands of instrumentality enforcement officers successful the state.

The pb authoritative is Matthew Frank, an adjunct lawyer wide who was besides the pb authoritative successful Mr. Chauvin’s trial.

The justice overseeing the lawsuit is Regina M. Chu, who was appointed successful 2002 erstwhile Jesse Ventura was governor.

Who was Daunte Wright?

Mr. Wright was remembered by friends arsenic an upbeat quality who loved to play hoops and was a supportive begetter to his son, Daunte Jr., who was a twelvemonth aged erstwhile Mr. Wright was killed.

“He ever said helium couldn’t hold to marque his lad proud,” Katie Wright, Mr. Wright’s mother, said at his ceremonial successful April. “Junior was the joyousness of his life, and helium lived for him each azygous day, and present he’s not going to beryllium capable to spot him.”

In the days and weeks aft Mr. Wright’s death, it emerged that helium had respective pending transgression charges and had been accused of being progressive successful 2 convulsive encounters.

A small implicit a period aft Mr. Wright’s death, a parent sued his estate, claiming that Mr. Wright had changeable her lad successful the caput successful Minneapolis successful May 2019, leaving him disabled. The mother’s suit says that her lad had been puerility friends with Mr. Wright but that they had fallen retired and that her lad had “beat up” Mr. Wright successful May 2019, perchance motivating Mr. Wright to question revenge.

The suit offers nary nonstop grounds tying Mr. Wright to the shooting, and the Minneapolis constabulary person not made immoderate arrests oregon commented connected the claims successful the lawsuit.

A lawyer for Mr. Wright’s property has asked a justice to disregard the lawsuit, and Ms. Wright has said the claims are hurtful.

“To tally with allegations similar that is beauteous bad, whether they are existent oregon not true,” she said successful an interrogation with The Star Tribune.

In summation to the pending weapon possession complaint that led to the warrant, Mr. Wright was besides facing charges of robbing a pistillate astatine gunpoint successful December 2019.

Many who knew Mr. Wright person said helium was a antheral who had made mistakes but had been improving his life.

A friend, Emajay Driver, said that Mr. Wright had “loved to marque radical laugh.” As a freshman successful precocious schoolhouse successful Minneapolis, Mr. Wright had been voted a people clown. “There was ne'er a dull moment,” Mr. Driver said.

In the eulogy astatine Mr. Wright’s funeral, the Rev. Al Sharpton called Mr. Wright the “prince of Brooklyn Center” and said the constabulary had not known however galore lives Mr. Wright brightened.

What bash we cognize astir Kimberly Potter?

Ms. Potter had been an serviceman with the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years earlier she resigned aft the shooting.

She served arsenic a tract grooming serviceman and was grooming a little experienced colleague, Officer Luckey, erstwhile she changeable Mr. Wright. She had besides served arsenic the president of the constabulary national successful caller years, prosecutors person said.

Her hubby was besides a constabulary serviceman for 28 years successful Fridley, Minn., which is conscionable crossed the Mississippi River from Brooklyn Center. Before helium retired, her hubby had been an teacher successful the department, grooming officers successful things including utilizing Tasers and however and erstwhile to usage force, according to a metropolis newsletter.

How often bash officers confuse a weapon for a Taser?

While not common, determination person been respective instances successful which constabulary officers mistakenly fired their guns erstwhile they meant to gully their Tasers.

In 2018, a rookie Kansas constabulary serviceman mistakenly changeable a man who was warring with a chap officer. In 2019, a constabulary serviceman successful Pennsylvania shouted “Taser!” earlier shooting an unarmed antheral successful the torso. And successful 1 of the astir publicized cases, a achromatic constabulary serviceman with the Bay Area Rapid Transit bureau said helium had meant to occurrence his Taser erstwhile helium fatally changeable Oscar Grant III, who was Black, arsenic Mr. Grant was lying facedown connected the bid level connected New Year’s Day successful 2009.

In April, The New York Times reported that of 15 cases of alleged limb disorder successful the past 2 decades, a 3rd of the officers were indicted and 3 — including the lone 2 cases successful which radical were killed — were recovered guilty.

Will Wright contributed reporting.