The Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop on Sunday (April 11), was apparently training rookie officers at the time.
According to The New York Times, a spokesperson for the police union that represents Officer Kim Potter said she was assigned to train less experienced officers that day.
Early reports indicate that Wright was pulled over for expired tags on the car he was driving at the time. During the stop, officers discovered a warrant for his arrest, and attempted to arrest him at the driver’s side of the vehicle. Wright attempts to drive away and a struggle ensues with the officers.
In the released body cam footage, Potter, who has a 26-year career in the police department and former police union president, can be heard yelling “Taser!” while holding her gun. She fired her weapon, striking Wright who drove several blocks before crashing the vehicle and dying at the scene.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who has since resigned, called the deadly incident “an accident.”
Potter submitted a letter of resignation on Tuesday (April 13) which stated in part, “I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.”
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott told reporters during a news conference that of the almost 50 police officers in the department, none of them live in the city. “We do feel very strongly that we need officers to be from the community,” Elliott said. “People want justice. They want full accountability under the law. That’s what we will continue to work for,” he added.
Wright’s family as well as the family of George Floyd gathered for a press conference, demanding justice and refuting the claim made by Gannon that the fatal shooting was accidental.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is conducting an investigation into Potter’s actions. Authorities from the Washington County Attorney’s Office charged Potter with second-degree manslaughter on Wednesday (April 14), per a report by CNN.
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