This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force," Crump said in a statement. Wright died of a single gunshot wound to the chest, the coroner concluded in an autopsy that ruled the case a homicide.Ĭivil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, representing Wright's family, said the case brought against Potter fell short of fulfilling a greater need for police reform in the United States.
The prosecutors also said Potter's partner officer, Anthony Luckey, had determined after stopping Wright that he had an outstanding warrant for a "gross misdemeanor weapons charge." Instead, she pulled her Glock 9mm pistol with her right hand. Potter's handgun and Taser were holstered on opposite sides of her belt in such a way that she would have had to use her left hand to draw the electric-stun device, the county attorney's office said. Wright, and she must be held accountable." "Her action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Prosecutors will seek to prove that Potter "abrogated her responsibility to protect the public when she used her firearm rather than her Taser," he said. "Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer," Imran Ali, head of the county attorney's major crimes unit, said in a statement. The Washington County Attorney's Office, which brought the case, said Potter was acting as her partner's field training officer at the time of the shooting. In a police video of the shooting, Potter shouts: "Taser, Taser, Taser!" as she draws her weapon and opens fire on Wright in his car after he had just pulled away from a fellow officer, then she is heard to say: "Holy shit, I just shot him."Ĭity Police Chief Jim Gannon, who also resigned on Tuesday, has said the shooting appeared to have been accidental. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. To convict Potter of second-degree manslaughter under Minnesota law, prosecutors must show that she was "culpably negligent" and took an "unreasonable risk" in her actions against Wright. Minnesota State Patrol Colonel Matt Langer told a late media briefing that after the curfew was imposed the group protesting "largely scattered and it was almost uneventful." The police said the protests remained smaller and more peaceful than Tuesday night, when 72 people were arrested. He also urged demonstrators to remain peaceful, saying: "The eyes of the world are on Brooklyn Center."Īs a curfew took effect on Wednesday night, law enforcement backed by National Guard troops moved again to break up the crowds with pepper spray and flash-bangs, though no tear gas appeared to have been immediately used.Ībout two dozen people were arrested on Wednesday night on charges including curfew violations. "Gassing, in my opinion, is not a humane way of policing," Elliott told reporters.
Responding to criticism that officers used heavy-handed tactics unnecessarily, Mayor Mike Elliott said on Wednesday that the county sheriff's office, rather than city police, was handling crowd control. Similar activity on Tuesday night ended with deputies abruptly advancing on protesters with volleys of tear-gas, non-lethal rounds and flash-bang devices to disperse the crowd, two hours before a 10 p.m. The officers in turn periodically approached the fence to douse those on the other side with pepper spray. Groups of demonstrators, however, persisted in taunting sheriff's deputies lined up behind a chain-link fence in front of the building, throwing objects over the barrier. Hundreds of protesters massed outside Brooklyn Center police headquarters for a fourth night on Wednesday, attending a rally that was mostly peaceful as darkness fell, with organizers urging the crowd to remain orderly. Her first court appearance was set for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. She was jailed on a charge of second-degree manslaughter but released hours later after posting $100,000 bond, according to jail records. Potter, a 26-year department veteran, was taken into custody by agents of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at its office in nearby St.
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