DAUNTE Wright, 20, was killed after a female officer accidentally shot him while trying to use a taser in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The senior female cop who shot and killed Wright on April 11, 2021, was identified as Kimberly Potter, who had served as a police officer for 26 years.
GettyThe Brooklyn Center officer who shot Daunte Wright on April 11 of 2021 was identified as Kimberly Potter '/ ' Opening statements in the trial of Kimberly Potter began on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 in the same courtroom where ex-cop Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, according to CNN. Potter has pleaded not guilty and faces a decade in prison at the minimum if convicted. Following days of testimonies and jury deliberations, Potter was found guilty of both first degree and second degree manslaughter on December 23, 2021. The Brooklyn Center Police officer was identified as Kimberly Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force, who fired her gun while trying to use a Taser after Wright, 20, was pulled over. Potter, 49, was placed on administrative duty following the shooting. On April 13, 2021, Potter resigned from her position \- two days after the shooting. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said Police Chief Tim Gannon also resigned from his position. In a letter to Elliott and other officials, Potter wrote: ...I am tendering my resignation from the Brooklyn Center Police Department effective immediately. I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.... The Star Tribune reports that she is a mother to two adults sons, and joined the police force in Minnesota in 1995 at the age of 22. She also reportedly served on the negotiation team during her tenure at the department. Most read in News KILLER COP Ex-police officer found guilty over Daunte Wright death & faces 25yrs in prison PRIME TIME Dozens of Amazon workers walk out to demand better treatment during holiday rush HIGHWAY HELL 'Up to 100 cars and semi-trucks' involved in huge pileup on icy interstate TRAGIC END Chimp beaten to death by first apes she'd met after being raised by humans EXXON EXPLOSION Huge blaze at Texas oil refinery declared 'major accident with injuries' GRIM FIND Family of 7 die from carbon monoxide poisoning in home, medical examiner says Why did Kimberly Potter shoot Daunte Wright? Bodycam footage has revealed the moment Wright was killed during a routine traffic stop. On the police body camera video obtained by the court, Potter's reaction can be heard. On the surveillance footage, Potter is heard saying, ...Holy s**t! I just shot him! I grabbed the wrong f*****g gun!... The footage further shows Potter in a visible state of shock and disarray as she falls to her knees on the sidewalk. According to a statement from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, Wright was pulled over for a traffic violation. What led up to the shooting of Daunte Wright? Officers tried to take him into custody when they discovered he had an outstanding warrant. As he got back into his car, one of the officers shot him dead. Wright's sobbing mother Katie told a crowd how her son called her to say he had been pulled over by police because of an air freshener on his rearview mirror. She said she heard officers tell her son to put his phone down, and then the call ended. Soon after, her son's girlfriend told her he had been shot. She told reporters: ...All he did was have air fresheners in the car and they told him to get out of the car.... ...He got out of the car and his girlfriend said they shot him.... Was Kimberly Potter charged? Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced on April 14, 2021, that Potter was charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting. "Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer," Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief and director of the Major Crime Unit, said in a statement on April 14. "With that responsibility comes a great deal of discretion and accountability,... the statement continued. We will vigorously prosecute this case and intend to prove that Officer Potter abrogated her responsibility to protect the public when she used her firearm rather than her taser. ...Her action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Wright and she must be held accountable. County Attorney Peter Orput and I met with the family, expressed our deepest sympathies and assured them we would spare no resources in seeking justice for Mr. Wright." On Thursday, September 2, 2021, Porter was charged with first-degree manslaughter by recklessly handling a firearm, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office. The state attorney general's office said in a statement that ...the original second-degree manslaughter charge is appropriate, but also concluded that an upgraded charge of first-degree manslaughter is warranted.... 
Minneapolis PoliceKimberly Potter's charges were upgraded from second-degree manslaughter to first-degree manslaughter on September 2 of 2021 '/ ' What has Police Chief Tim Gannon said? On April 12, 2021, Tim Gannon, the Brooklyn Center Minnesota police chief, described the fatal shooting as ...an accidental discharge,... during a news briefing. After watching the bodycam footage, he said: ...This appears to me, from what I viewed and the officers' reaction and distress immediately after, that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright.... He said the officer who fired the fatal shot had intended to use a Taser \- not a handgun. He said the investigation was in its early stages and based on a preliminary police review of the video evidence. Gannon resigned from his position on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, the day before Potter was charged for the first time with second degree manslaughter. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS Source:
