Kim Potter faces manslaughter charges in the shooting of 20-year-old Black man near Minneapolis earlier this year.
Opening arguments are set to begin in the trial of former US police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright – an unarmed Black man – in what she has said was a mix-up between her gun and her Taser.
The proceedings on Wednesday came after a mostly white jury was seated for the Minnesota trial last week.
Potter, 49, faces first- and second-degree manslaughter charges for the April 11 killing, which set off protests against police brutality in the Brooklyn Center community, north of Minneapolis, amid a wider national movement for racial justice in the United States.
The killing occurred just miles from where George Floyd died after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020 – and as Chauvin stood trial for Floyd’s murder, for which he was later found guilty.
Potter’s trial is taking place in the same Hennepin County courtroom in which Chauvin was convicted in April.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry maximum sentences of 15 and 10 years, respectively. Her lawyers say she will testify in her own defence.
The 26-year police veteran was training a new officer when the duo pulled Wright over for having expired licence plate tags and an air freshener hanging from the car’s rearview mirror, according to the criminal complaint.
The officers moved to arrest Wright when they discovered he had an outstanding warrant. As he attempted to flee, body camera footage shows Potter yelling, “Taser, Taser, Taser” and “I’ll tase you” before she fired a single shot with her handgun.
She can then be heard saying, “I grabbed the wrong [expletive] gun.”
Wright drove off, but his vehicle collided with a concrete barrier moments later. He died at the scene.
Reckless action versus honest mistake
Prosecutors were expected to use their opening remarks to stress the extensive training Potter had received prior to the killing.
She had completed two Taser-specific training courses in the six months before the incident, according to the criminal complaint. Experts have said that makes her criminally responsible for the killing, even if it was a mistake.
To convict her on the manslaughter charge, prosecutors must prove Potter caused Wright’s death through culpable negligence.
In court filings, prosecutors have alleged Potter “consciously and intentionally acted in choosing to use force on Daunte Wright and in reaching for, drawing, pointing, and manipulating a weapon”.
A makeshift memorial is seen at the site where Daunte Wright was killed by police officer Kim Potter [File: Julio Cortez/The Associated Press]The defence, meanwhile, will likely argue that Potter made a tragic, but understandable mistake while under intense pressure. They also are expected to argue that Wright created the dangerous situation by resisting arrest.
Defence lawyers are expected to present body camera footage not yet publicly released that showed Potter’s remorse after the killing.
However, they have also argued in court filings that if Potter used deadly force intentionally, she was justified because Wright’s actions endangered officers at the scene.
Daunte Wright: Fatal US police shooting trial set to begin
Source: News Central Viral
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