Minnesota prosecutors will charge a white police officer with manslaughter who shot and killed a black man at a traffic stop near Minneapolis, sparking protests and riots and escalating tensions in an area already shaken by the trial of the policeman accused of killing George Floyd.
Kim Potter, who resigned from her police position the day before, will be indicted today, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced. If found guilty, Potter could face up to 10 years in jail.
Three days ago, Potter shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, in the Brooklyn Center town. Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon resigned Tuesday. Gannon stated that Potter shot Wright by mistake and that what she wanted to do was hit him with the stun gun, or Taser.
Potter’s attorney did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press asking for comment.
The event has sparked protests and riots, amid allegations that the matter was not an accident and that the judicial system is biased against blacks. Activists point out that Wright was detained by officers for having his vehicle registration expired, and yet ended up dead.
On Monday, Gannon released the video taken by Potter’s body camera. In it, Potter is seen approaching Wright, who is standing next to his car as another agent arrested him based on an outstanding warrant.
That arrest warrant corresponded to the fact that Wright refused to go to court after being accused of evading police officers and possessing a weapon in June.
In the video, Wright is seen struggling with the agents and Potter yelling at him “I’ll hit you with the Taser! I’ll hit you with the Taser!”. When Wright breaks away from the cops and returns to his vehicle, the police shoot him.
This happens while the trial against Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, accused of killing George Floyd, who was also black, last year.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott told a news conference that the city was already in the process of firing Potter, who had been in the force for 26 years, when she resigned. He expressed hope that the resignation “will bring some calm to the community” but that he will still continue to fight for “full justice.”
“That is what we will continue to try to achieve,” Elliott said. “We have to make sure justice is served, that’s what Daunte Wright deserves, that’s what his family deserves.”
On Tuesday night protests broke out again in the area. Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Brooklyn Center police station, which is now surrounded by concrete barriers and a tall metal fence, and under the watchful eye of riot police and National Guard troops.
About 90 minutes before the 10:00 pm curfew began, the police announced over the loudspeakers that the protest had been declared illegal and ordered him to disperse.
This sparked new clashes: protesters fired fireworks and other objects at the police headquarters, and officers responded with stun grenades and irritant gas before marching in formation to force the crowd back.
“They are ordered to disperse,” the police announced over the loudspeakers, warning that anyone who violated the order would be arrested.