Kimberly Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright after mistakenly drawing her gun instead of her Taser, will be charged with second-degree manslaughter, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Washington County Attorney Peter Orput, who is prosecuting the fatal incident, said details of the charges will be released later, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
Potter, 48, was charged a day after she resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department in the wake of the 20-year-old’s shooting, which set off a third day of protests in the Minneapolis suburb.
The 26-year veteran and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned in the wake of the shooting. The city council also fired City Manager Curt Boganey over the incident.
Washington County was tapped to decide on charging instead of Hennepin County — where Brooklyn Center is located — to avoid a conflict of interest, officials said.
Wright’s death also is under review by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott on Tuesday said he would ask Gov. Tim Walz to turn the prosecution over to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Wright was pulled over around 2 p.m. Sunday for having a suspended registration, authorities said. Police said they determined he was sought on a misdemeanor arrest warrant and tried to arrest him.
But the young man broke away and got back in his car, where he was shot by Potter before speeding off and crashing farther down the road — where he was pronounced dead.
Police said the officer mistakenly grabbed her service weapon instead of her Taser and fired a single, fatal shot.
“Holy s–t!” she can be heard saying on bodycam video. “I just shot him.”
Potter, who was training another officer at the time of her fatal mistake, was then placed on administrative leave.
In a statement announcing her resignation, she said: “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability.
This is an excerpt from the New York Post.
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