The jury has begun proceedings in the Minnesota police trial that killed Daunte Wright.

Author: Nathan Layne

(Reuters) – Jurors have begun proceedings over the murder trial of Kimberly Potter, a former Minnesota police officer who mixed his gun with a Taser and shot black car driver Daunte Wright at a traffic stop following Monday’s final arguments.

In a recent appearance before the jury, prosecutors said Potter acted recklessly and with “guilty negligence” in taking out the wrong weapon, the defense argued that the young Black had caused his death by facing arrest and attempting to escape.

Erin Eldridge, Minnesota’s assistant attorney general, went through Potter’s extensive training as a 26-year-old police officer as a police officer in the Minneapolis neighborhood of Brooklyn Center, arguing that his action was indefensible.

“He wasn’t a beginner. It wasn’t his first day at work,” Eldridge said in an hour-long discussion. “We’re here because that can be completely avoided. It was a tragedy he created. And it’s not just a tragedy. It’s a murder.”

Potter, 49, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree and second-degree murder charges, with maximum sentences of 15 and 10 years respectively, saying he believed he was drawing his Taser with a 9mm pistol shot at Wright’s chest. April 11.

Potter is white and Wright’s shooting sparked several protests outside the Brooklyn Center police station overnight, and critics called another example of police brutality 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.

Earl Gray, one of Potter’s lawyers, wanted to blame Wright for the shooting, arguing that Wright’s decision to face arrest and his attempt endangered another officer on the scene, and that Potter demanded the use of force.

“The cause was Daunte Wright,” Gray told the jury in a final argument that lasted about 50 minutes. “Those are cold and hard events.”

Gray highlighted the testimony of Dr. Laurence Miller, a psychologist who told the jury last week about an “error of action,” or when a person intends to take another action. Miller stated how such mistakes are common in everyday life, such as entering the wrong computer password or typing the wrong date, and can cause stress.

The prosecutor admitted that Potter had made a mistake and had no intention of killing Wright. To secure a conviction on the first-degree indictment, they must prove that he caused his death while he was committing the crime of reckless use of his weapon. For a second-degree charge, the jury must find Potter guilty of “negligent negligence,” taking the risk of “creating unreasonable and conscious harm.”

“The defendant is charged with felony criminal mischief for his negligence and negligence,” Eldridge said. “This was a colossal plague. An error of epic proportions.”

Gray argued that Potter was not at fault for not knowing that Wright was firing a gun when he fired.

“He couldn’t have consciously taken the risk if he didn’t know he had a gun that would cause death or serious bodily harm,” Gray said. “He made a mistake.”

In an emotional testimony Friday, Potter said he was deeply saddened that Wright was killed and that it was dark after the shooting.

Potter and another police officer were taken to Wright because there was an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror and the vehicle license sheets 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 on his body before being shot at Wright’s car after being released from a second officer. Potter testified that he feared for the life of a third officer who entered the passenger side and tried to park the car.

“In a matter of seconds it suddenly breaks. That’s what caused this whole thing,” Gray said. “They had to be beaten.”