Brooklyn Center Police veteran Kim Potter was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with Sunday’s shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.
The 48-year-old was busted at around 11:30 a.m. and booked into the Hennepin County Jail.
The mother of two sons insisted she had “accidentally” opened fire at the Black man during a routine traffic stop while she intended to use her Taser.
Potter and a trainee officer pulled Wright over for an expired license plate before realizing they were dealing with a wanted suspect with an outstanding gross misdemeanor warrant.
The officers tried to stop Wright who was getting back into the vehicle with Potter threatening she would use a Taser.
“She pulled her Glock 9mm handgun with her right hand and pointed it at Wright, saying again that she would tase him,” prosecutors said.
“Potter said ‘Taser, Taser, Taser,’ and pulled the trigger on her handgun. After firing, she said “S---, I just shot him!”
Wright’s family attorneys said that the DA holding Potter accountable is something they “appreciate but no conviction can give them their loved one back.”
“This was no accident. This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force. The 26-year veteran of the force knows the difference between a taser and a firearm. Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant.”
