Mychal Johnson, was leaning into Wright's car through the passenger door in an attempt to disable the vehicle.Īmerica Reckons With Racial Injustice What to know about the trial of Kim Potter, the ex-officer who killed Daunte Wright It's about an officer who knew she could kill someone if she got it wrong but failed to make sure she got it right," said Erin Eldridge, an assistant attorney general for the state of Minnesota.īut attorneys representing Potter said that her use of a weapon was warranted - especially because a fellow officer, Sgt.
"It's about the reckless handling of a firearm, and it's about the disregard of known risks. Instead, prosecutors and defense lawyers on Wednesday walked the jury through Potter's career and training, the differences between a gun and a Taser, Wright's behavior and every possible detail of the traffic stop itself - all in an attempt to answer a different question: whether her mistake rose to the level of criminal recklessness. Kim Potter, the 49-year-old former police officer accused of manslaughter in the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.īoth sides in the manslaughter trial of former police officer Kim Potter agreed during opening statements that Potter meant to draw her Taser, rather than her handgun, during the traffic stop last April in suburban Minneapolis where she shot and killed a 20-year-old named Daunte Wright.