(BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn.) — Kim Potter, the white police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, will be charged with second-degree manslaughter, authorities said Wednesday.
Potter was arrested at about 11:30 a.m. local time and will be booked into the Hennepin County Jail, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office will file the second-degree manslaughter charge later on Wednesday, the state agency said.
Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, submitted her resignation on Tuesday following Sunday’s fatal shooting. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said Tuesday that he had not yet accepted Potter’s resignation.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon also submitted his resignation Tuesday.
Wright, a father to a 2-year-old boy, was driving in Brooklyn Center, just outside of Minneapolis, when he was stopped by police Sunday afternoon. The officers initially pulled him over for an expired registration tag on his car but determined during the traffic stop that he had an outstanding gross misdemeanor warrant, according to Gannon.
As police tried to take him into custody, Wright got back into the car and Potter fired her gun, striking him.
Gannon said Potter intended to deploy her Taser instead of her gun when she “accidentally” shot Wright.
Attorneys Benjamin Crump, Jeff Storms and Antonio Romanucci, who are representing Wright’s family, said in a statement Wednesday, “While we appreciate that the district attorney is pursuing justice for Daunte, no conviction can give the Wright family their loved one back.”
“This was no accident. This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force,” the attorneys claimed. “A 26-year veteran of the force knows the difference between a taser and a firearm. Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant.”
In a resignation letter to city officials on Tuesday, Potter wrote, “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.”
A second-degree manslaughter conviction in Minnesota carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Wednesday that it will continue to work with the Washington County Attorney’s Office on the case.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
