BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. The former police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright was arrested on Wednesday and charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the murder that sparked three nights of protests in this suburb of Minneapolis.
Kim Potter, a 26-year-old veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, will remain in jail until her first court appearance Thursday, Washington County Attorney Peter Orput said. Under Minnesota law, a maximum sentence of ten years in prison has been imposed. Me. Potter resigned Tuesday.
The police shooting of Mr. Wright described as coincidental, with me. Potter who regarded her rifle as a taser; body-camera footage showed Potter, 48, shouting the word Taser several times before firing her rifle.
“Officer Potter abdicated her responsibility to protect the public when she used her firearm rather than her Taser,” said Imran Ali, the deputy head of the crime department in Washington province, in a statement. “Her actions led to the illegal murder of Mr. Wright causes and she must be held accountable. ‘
Potter’s attorney, Earl Gray, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His money is being paid for by the legal defense fund for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, a group nationwide that represents local police officers, the group said.