Death of Daunte Wright: Kim Potter faces second-degree manslaughter
Kim Potter, the police officer who resigned after shooting Daunte Wright, is facing charges of second-degree manslaughter.
Associated Press, USA TODAY
The claim: Daunte Wright had a warrant for his arrest because the court sent the notice to appear to the wrong address
Misinformation continues to circulate about the April 11 traffic stop that led to the death of 20-year-old Minnesota man Daunte Wright.
Police stopped Wright around 2 p.m. because his vehicle registration had expired. When police learned Wright had an outstanding warrant and tried to detain him, a brief fight began.
An investigation found that former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter mistakenly pulled out her gun when she was about to grab her Taser and shot Wright fatally. On April 14, she was charged with second-degree manslaughter.
Amid the confusion, a misinformed TikTok video filed the false allegation that the warrant was issued due to an inaccurate address. Comedian Walter Masterson claims the court issued the warrant after Wright missed his trial because the court sent the notice to the wrong address.
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Masterson has since removed the video, but the false claim lives on while distributing versions across platforms. Celebrities like musician Questlove shared the video on their own Facebook pages.
In an April 15 video, Masterson explained that he had removed the original video after learning that the ‘information in the video was incomplete’ and promising to ‘do better’.
Neither Masterson nor Questlove responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Video leads viewers to the wrong case
In the video, Masterson presents the claim as ‘breaking news’ that ‘no one (yet knew).’
He then ordered viewers to look up Wright’s case number, 27-CR-19-29850, on the Minnesota Judicial Branch website. There was an outstanding warrant at the time of Wright’s death; however, it is not related to this case.
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The case number refers to a 2019 robbery charge against Wright. The register of actions indicates that the trial of the case was sent to the wrong address, but the court did not respond with a warrant. The case would be heard on August 2.
“They sent the notice of the trial to the wrong address, and then they issued a warrant for his arrest, and now he’s dead,” Masterson concludes the video.
Wright’s outstanding warrant not related to issues
In March, Wright is charged with possession of a handgun without a permit and the flight of a police officer. The case number for these separate costs is no. 27-CR-21-4400.
On April 2, the court issued a warrant for Wright’s arrest for failing to appear at trial. The warrant was active at the time of Wright’s death.
The warrant is publicly available to download under case no. 27-CR-21-4400 on the Minnesota Judicial Branch Documents Page. The register of actions for the case gives no indication that the notice for trial was sent to the wrong address. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
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Our rating: false
We review the allegation that Daunte Wright had an outstanding warrant at the time of his death because the court sent his notice to appear to the wrong address FALSE because it is not supported by our research. There was an active warrant at the time of his death, but it is not related to the wrong address of the court documents.
Our sources for fact checking:
- USA TODAY, April 12, ” Another black man killed by police ‘: outrage over Daunte Wright shooting in Minnesota traffic jam “
- USA TODAY, April 14, “Brooklyn Center police officer arrested on second-degree manslaughter in Daunte Wright’s death”
- IMDb, Visited April 18, Walter Masterson
- Questlove, April 13, Facebook post
- Denyce Lawton, April 12, Facebook post
- Walter Masterson, April 15, TikTok Video
- Minnesota Judicial Branch Visits April 18 ‘Minnesota Remote Trial Public Access (MPA) Remote View’
- Minnesota Judicial Branch, visited April 18, Register of Actions, case no. 27-CR-19-29850
- Minnesota Judicial Branch, visited April 18, Register of Actions, case no. 27-CR-21-4400
- MINNESOTA COURT BRANCH, MINNESOTA COURT RECORDS ONLINE (MCRO), accessed April 18, Document Search
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