Former Minnesota police have “apologized” for shooting Daunte Wright, Reuters says

Author: Nathan Layne

(Reuters) – Kimberly Potter, a former Minnesota white police officer convicted of shooting dead black motorcyclist Daunte Wright, broke down in tears on Friday after she testified that she regretted confusing her gun with a Taser during a traffic stop.

Potter, 49, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree and second-degree murder offenses with maximum sentences of 15 and 10 years, respectively. Potter said he thought he was drawing his Taser on April 11 when he shot Wright in the chest with a 9mm Glock pistol.

“I’m sorry it happened. I’m sorry,” Potter said, sobbing and shaking at the witness. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

The defense rested and put the final arguments in place by Monday.

Potter was a police officer in the Minneapolis neighborhood of Brooklyn Center for 26 years before the shooting, which sparked several nights of protests, and was cited by critics as another example of police violence against black Americans.

The incident took place just a few miles from where Derek Chauvin, a former white Minneapolis police officer, was being tried at the same time. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/jurors-resume-deliberations-derek-chauvin-murder-trial-2021-04-20 In the case of George Floyd, who was killed in an arrest in 2020 in many US cities, racial justice protests he turned them on in the case of the black man. Chauvin was convicted of murder.

Potter and another police officer who was training were shot at Wright because there was an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror and the vehicle’s license plates had expired. He was then charged with felony criminal mischief and charged with felony criminal mischief.

Potter can be heard shouting “Taser, Taser, Taser” at the camera he is carrying in his body before being shot at Wright’s vehicle after being released from a second officer and trying to get away. A third officer, Sergeant Mychal Johnson, approached the passenger side and was trying to park the car.

Asked by his lawyer, Potter said it was the officer he was training who decided to take him to Wright, and he probably wouldn’t make the same call because the drivers are generally having difficulty renewing license plates. Covid19 pandemic.

Potter said he saw Johnson Wright fighting with a “look of fear” on his face because of the change of gear, and that he was afraid for his safety.

“We were trying not to drive. It got chaotic,” Potter said.

She testified that she did not remember saying “I am going to jail”, a statement contained in the police video, and that she remembered little until she met her husband the same day later.

Witnesses emphasized a basic defense strategy. During the trial, Potter’s attorneys sought to portray him as a dangerous situation for officers, who were in danger of being dragged down Johnson Street. It has been argued that Potter used reasonable force even though he drew the wrong weapon.

Potter said Wright had a duty to find out if the female passenger in the car was safe because agents found out at the stop that a woman had taken a restraining order against her.

Prosecutors have argued that Potter was a veteran and trained officer – the specific course of the taser in the months leading up to the incident – making him guilty of the shooting. They called 25 witnesses, compared to eight on defense, and many testified about training and proceedings.

Erin Eldridge, the state’s assistant attorney general, questioned Potter’s assertion that he had fired Wright because he was concerned about Johnson’s safety, and stated that Potter had not acted on the grounds that the shooting was justified immediately.

“After the shooting of Daunte Wright, you weren’t acting like someone who had just saved Sergeant Johnson’s life. No?” Eldridge asked during the interrogation.

“I was very upset. I shot someone,” Potter replied.

“You weren’t running down the street and trying to save Daunte Wright’s life, were you?” Eldridge asked.

“No,” Potter said through tears.

None of the murder charges require prosecutors to prove that Potter intended to cause Wright’s death.

For the first-time murder, prosecutors must show that Potter killed Wright while he was carelessly handling a firearm. The second-degree charge requires Potter to be found guilty of killing Wright “as a result of culpable negligence.”