A prosecutor said on Wednesday that he charged a white former Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing black motorist Daunte Wright, 20, in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.
The charge against former Brooklyn Centre police officer Kim Potter was filed on Wednesday, three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said.
He was shot near the court where a murder trial for a former officer charged with killing George Floyd last May is being heard.
The former Brooklyn Centre police chief said Ms Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead.
However, protesters and Wright’s family said there was no excuse for the shooting and that it showed how the justice system was tilted against blacks.
They said Wright was stopped for an expired car registration and ended up dead.
“Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer,” said Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief, in announcing the charge.
“[Ms Potter’s] action caused the unlawful killing of Mr Wright and she must be held accountable.”
Mr Ali said he and Mr Orput had met Wright’s family and assured them that no resources would be spared in prosecuting the case.
Intent is not necessarily needed for a conviction of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota.
The charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, can be applied where a person is suspected of causing a death by “culpable negligence” that creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances to cause the death of a person.
Ms Potter, 48, was arrested on Wednesday morning at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St Paul. She and former police chief Tim Gannon resigned on Tuesday.
Concrete barricades and tall metal fencing had been set up around Ms Potter’s home in Champlin, north of Brooklyn Centre, with police cars guarding the driveway.
Mr Gannon had released Ms Potter’s body camera video the day after Sunday’s shooting.
It showed her approaching Wright as he stood outside his car as another officer was arresting him for an outstanding warrant.
The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit, during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.
As Wright struggles with police, Ms Potter is heard shouting, “I’ll Tase you. I’ll Tase you. Taser, Taser, Taser,” before firing a single shot from her handgun.
The decision to charge her was announced as the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd progresses.
Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after Mr Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for several minutes.
The Wrights' lawyer, Ben Crump, said the family appreciated the criminal case, but again disputed that the shooting was accidental because an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.
Police and protesters faced off again after nightfall on Tuesday, with hundreds of demonstrators gathering again at Brooklyn Centre’s police headquarters, now ringed by concrete barriers and a tall metal fence.
Police in riot gear and National Guard soldiers stood watch.
About 90 minutes before a 10pm curfew, state police announced over a loudspeaker that the gathering had been declared unlawful and ordered the crowds to disperse.
That quickly set off confrontations, with protesters launching fireworks towards the station and throwing objects at police, who launched stun and gas grenades, then marched in a line to force back the crowd.
“You are hereby ordered to disperse,” authorities announced, saying that anyone who did not leave would be arrested.
State police said the dispersal order came before the curfew because protesters were trying to take down the fencing and throwing rocks at police.
The number of protesters dropped rapidly over the next hour until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media to leave the scene.
Brooklyn Centre, a suburb to the north of Minneapolis, has had its racial demographics shift dramatically in recent years.
In 2000, more than 70 per cent of the city was white. Today, most residents are black, Asian or Hispanic.
Mr Elliott said he did not have at hand information on the police force’s racial diversity but, “we have very few people of colour in our department".
Ms Potter was an instructor with the Brooklyn Centre police, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association said.
She was training two other officers on Sunday when they stopped Wright, the association's leader, Bill Peters, told The Star Tribune.
In her one-paragraph letter of resignation, Ms Potter said: “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.”
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
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MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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