BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA — A 26-year veteran of the police force was charged with second degree manslaughter on Wednesday for the shooting death of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop.
The incident was captured on police badge cam and released to the public shortly after.
The officer, Kim Potter, is said to have meant to draw and fire her taser instead of her handgun.
The charge against former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter was filed three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd last May.
The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead. However, protesters and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and that it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead.
via clickorlando.com
Negligence can factor into the second degree manslaughter charge in Minnesota, and is likely the angle that prosecutors will take when the case goes to trial.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.
