Authorities said Kim Potter, the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright, was arrested Wednesday morning on a suspicion of second-degree manslaughter. The 48-year-old was released on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
Potter was arrested a day after resigning from the Brooklyn Center Police Department and three days after killing the 20-year-old Black man. If sentenced, she faces a mandatory term of ten years in jail.
Wright’s death, which happened as he escaped a police traffic stop, heightened already-heightened tensions in and around Minneapolis as a result of the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd last year.
Potter’s body camera footage from the altercation on Sunday shows she thought she had taken out a Taser when she pointed the device at Wright and fired after he spun away from another cop who was attempting to handcuff him next to his SUV.
Body camera footage released by the police department shows a Potter yelling “Taser!” three times during a traffic stop with Wright. Protter then fires a single gunshot and is heard saying, “Holy s—, I shot him!”
Just-released bodycam footage shows the fatal shooting of #DaunteWright by an @BrklynCenterMN PD officer yesterday (TW:☠️) #JusticeForDaunteWright pic.twitter.com/78mqZQgVbC
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 12, 2021
Potter’s Taser is colored bright yellow, in contrast to her black Glock 9mm pistol.
Wright’s death has led to protests in Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis.
Protesters rallied at the Brooklyn Center police department for the fourth night in a row to protest the death and shooting.
Protesters are outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department for third consecutive day following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. pic.twitter.com/XXV35Puaqb
— Kim Hyatt (@kimvhyatt) April 13, 2021
As a curfew approached, a firework was seen going off and police fired flash bombs. Late Wednesday, about an hour before midnight, officers called the meeting an unconstitutional assembly.
Mayor Mike Elliott said at a press conference Wednesday that the curfew in Brooklyn Center was in effect between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. CT. Curfews have been implemented in neighboring cities, but Minneapolis and St. Paul have not, according to their respective websites.
Potter’s house is blocked by security barricades in Champlin, Minnesota.
A individual convicted of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota faces up to ten years in jail and a fine of up to twenty thousand dollars.
