Daunte Wright, at left, and former police officer Kim Potter.Photo: Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Minnesota officials have identified the police officer whofatally shotDaunte Wright, an unarmed 20-year-old Black man who was trying to flee a traffic stop.
Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave, according to a statement from the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The investigation is ongoing.
According to theStar Tribune,Potter, 48, has been on the force since 1995. Over the years, she has served on the department’s negotiation team.
Potter shot Wright just before 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The footage shows Potter threatening to use her taser, and shouting “taser” several times before discharging her gun. As soon as she shoots him, she can be heard uttering “oh, sh–” as Wright sped off.
The vehicle then traveled several blocks before crashing into another car. Wright died at the scene, police said. His girlfriend, who was in the passenger’s seat, suffered minor injuries.
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After the shooting, Potter’s boss claimed the shooting was accidental.
“It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy her taser,” Chief Tim Gannon of Brooklyn Center, Minn., said at a Monday news conference. “It appears to me that this was an accidental discharge.”
Protesters confront law enforcement on April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
The shooting has prompted two nights of protests and clashes with police in the suburb of Minneapolis, a city already on edge astestimony continues in the trialof a former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, for murder in the May 2020 death ofGeorge Floyd, another Black man, while in police custody.
As news of the shooting went national, the Minnesota Twins, Wild and Timberwolves announced they would postpone their games out of respect for Wright. New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicksopted to sit outMonday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays as a form of protest.
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A crowd gathered at the Brooklyn Center police department after police shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop earlier on Sunday.Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott called for Potter to be fired.
“Let me be very clear,” Elliott said at Monday’s news conference. “My position is that we cannot afford to make mistakes that lead to the loss of life of other people in our profession, and so I do fully support relieving the officer of her duties.”
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source: people.com
