Minnesota police officer Kim Potter charged with second-degree manslaughter
Local Minnesota prosecutors have charged former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter with second-degree manslaughter. She shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black teenager, before. The incident has led to three consecutive nights of local demonstrations, with 60 people arrested Tuesday night (April 13) and demonstrations spreading to Minneapolis.
Washington County Prosecutor Pete Orput has announced charges of second-degree manslaughter against Porter.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, according to the Associated Press. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, KSTP, and Minnesota Public Radio all reported in advance on the charges Orput is expected to announce.
Although the shooting took place in Hennepin County, prosecutors turned the case over to nearby Washington County – the Minneapolis area’s county prosecutor – to avoid suspicion, as they did last year in the police deadly force case that prompted the “Black Lives Matter” national demonstrations.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), which is investigating Wright’s death, announced via Twitter Wednesday morning that Porter had been arrested in connection with the shooting of Wright on April 11. Agents took Porter into custody at BCA headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, at about 11:30 a.m. CDT.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott used a news conference Tuesday to call on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to transfer jurisdiction from Washington County to state Attorney General Keith-Ellison’s office. As a result of the incident, both Porter and Police Chief Tim Gannon, who had worked for the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years, resigned on Tuesday.
Gannon made the decision Monday to release body camera footage of the fatal incident against the recommendation of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The director said at a news conference that he believed the female officer intended to reach for the Taser but grabbed her handgun instead, and classified the incident as an “accident.
Police said officers pulled Wright over for expired car tags, but after checking his driver’s license, they found a warrant for his arrest and were inclined to arrest him.
The autopsy video shows Wright struggling with the police when the female officer yells, “I’ll tase you! (“I’ll Tase you!) Taser! Taser! Taser! After the man broke away from the police and got back into the car, she drew her weapon. After firing one shot, the car sped away and Porter said, “Holly ****! I shot him.”
In a statement released in response to the charging decision, Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney representing Floyd and Wright’s family, asserted that Porter’s shooting of Wright was “not an accident” because “a black man who continues to drive away can still be sentenced to death.
“While we appreciate that the district attorney is pursuing justice for Wright, no conviction will bring back the Wright family. This was not an accident. This was an intentional, deliberate and unlawful use of force. The continued flight of the black driver could also result in a death sentence.” Krupp said in a joint statement Wednesday with co-counsel Jeff Storms and Antonio Romanucci that no basis for the claim was provided.
“A police officer with 26 years of experience knows the difference between a Taser and a firearm. Porter executed Wright for nothing more than a minor traffic violation and a misdemeanor warrant,” the statement continued.” Wright’s life, like George Floyd’s, like Eric Garner’s, like Breonna Taylor’s, like David Smith’s, was meaningful. But Porter saw him as expendable. It is time for meaningful change in our country. We will continue to fight for justice for Wright, for his family, and for all marginalized people of color. We will not stop until there is meaningful police and justice reform, until we reach the goal of true equality.”
On Tuesday, for the third night in a row, police and protesters faced off as crowds once again gathered at the heavily guarded police headquarters in central Brooklyn, now surrounded by concrete barriers and tall metal fences, where police in riot gear and National Guard soldiers stood guard.
About 90 minutes before the 10 p.m. curfew, state police used loudspeakers to announce that the rally had been declared illegal and ordered the crowd to disperse. But that quickly sparked clashes, with demonstrators firing fireworks at the police department and throwing objects at officers, who fired flashbangs and gas bombs before marching in formation and forcing back the crowd.
Authorities announced, “You are hereby ordered to disperse.” and warned that anyone who did not leave would be arrested. State police said the dispersal order was announced earlier than the curfew because demonstrators were trying to knock down fences and throw rocks at police.
Police also ordered all media to leave the scene.
Wright was charged with first-degree aggravated robbery in an incident in Osseso, Minnesota, in December 2019 and released on $100,000 bail, according to Hennepin County District Court documents obtained by Fox News. But his bail was revoked in July after he allegedly possessed a firearm and failed to maintain contact with his probation officer.
Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to a medical examiner.
Porter was reportedly in the field training a new officer when Sunday’s incident occurred. She became president of the Brooklyn Center Police Officers Association in 2019. In a resignation letter, Porter said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I strongly believe it would be in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I were to resign immediately.”
The new shooting is just 10 miles away from the entrance to the Minneapolis supermarket where last year’s Floyd incident took place. So far, the trial of Chavouvan, the police officer involved in the Floyd case, continues. A newly disclosed video showing police officer Chavouvan kneeling not on Floyd’s neck, but on the back of his shoulder, has rarely been followed by the mainstream media.
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