Former American Police Who Shot Daunte Wright Is Charged With Second-Degree Murder

JAKARTA - A day after resigning as a police officer, Kimberly Ann Potter, the female police officer involved in the shooting of black motorist Daunte Wright, was charged with murder.

Wright's shooting incident, which began with a vehicle raid because his license plate had expired, followed by Kim Potter, was commonly called upon, who took a gun and opened fire on him, instead of picking up a Taser (an electric shock gun that usually has a bright color), sparking a wave of public outcry.

Potter, who has 26 years of service experience, was detained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Arrest at the agency's office near St. Paul, authorities said.

She was charged with second-degree murder. Once held in Hennepin City Jail, Potter was released on USD 100.000 bail, Reuters reported Thursday, April 15.

The first trial of the shooting that killed Daunte Wright and defendant Kim Potter will be held on Thursday 15 April at 1.30 p.m. local time.

To convict Potter on a second-degree murder charge under Minnesota law, prosecutors must show Potter was grossly negligent and took unreasonable risks, in her actions against Wright. Potter faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a USD 20.000 fine.

Meanwhile, the Washington County Attorney's Office, which is handling the case, said Potter was acting as her partner's field training officer at the time of the shooting.

"Certain jobs carry enormous responsibility and are nothing more than a sworn police officer", Imran Ali, head of the district attorney's major crime unit, said in a statement.

Prosecutors will seek to prove Potter failed to fulfill her responsibility to protect the public when she used a firearm rather than a Taser, Ali said.

"Her actions led to murder of Mr. Wright, and she should be held accountable", he said

Different positions

The district attorney's office explained that Potter's gun and Taser were strapped to the opposite side of her belt in such a way. So, she had to use her left hand to pull the electric stun device. Instead, she pulled a 9mm Glock pistol with her right hand.

Prosecutors also said Potter's partner officer, Anthony Luckey, had decided after stopping Wright that he had an outstanding warrant for a charge of gross misconduct against a weapon.

Meanwhile, civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, representing Daunte Wright's family, said the case brought against Potter did not meet the greater need for police reform in the United States.

'It's not an accident. This is a deliberate, intentional, and unlawful use of force", Crump said in a statement.

The shooting has renewed criticism of discretionary vehicle stops for minor traffic violations, in which police officers have legal leeway to act on racial bias, civil rights advocates say.

The case also draws attention to potential problems with the use of Tasers by police officers, with some experts saying problems remain with the training and design of weapons.

It is known that Potter is at least the third United States law enforcement officer to face charges, after claiming they mistakenly killed someone with a gun when they intended to use a Taser.

Wright was killed just a few miles from the Minneapolis courthouse where the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd last May is ongoing.

Floyd, who died in handcuffs with his neck wedged in the street below Chauvin's knee, became the face of a national movement against racial injustice and police brutality when protests against his murder hit the United States last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.