A Minnesota jury has found former police officer Kimberly Potter guilty of manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright. Potter shot Wright, a black motorist, with her gun instead of a taser, during a traffic stop in April.
After several days of deliberations, the jury came back with a decision on Thursday, finding Potter guilty on both counts.
Potter, 49, was arrested in April and charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter. She resigned from the Brooklyn Center police department in the wake of the shooting, as did Chief Tim Gannon.
Video from the traffic stop that was made public after the incident showed the 20-year-old Wright driving off and Potter yelling “taser, taser, taser,” but pulling out her service weapon and shooting instead.
Prosecutors argued the 26-year veteran acted recklessly and with “culpable negligence,” while the defense said Potter was justified in using force as Wright resisted arrest and attempted to flee. The ex-cop maintained she had drawn the wrong weapon by mistake and did not intend to kill Wright.
Brooklyn Center is a suburban community north of Minneapolis. The April 11 shooting occurred during the trial of former Minneapolis PD officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, the incident which set off the months-long riots across the US. Wright’s death triggered several nights of Black Lives Matter protests and accusations of police being racist.