Jury takes shape for Potter trial in Daunte Wright's death

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Katie Wright, the parent of Daunte Wright, center, waits successful enactment to spell done information with household members arsenic they get Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 astatine the Hennepin County Government Center successful Minneapolis for the 2nd time of assemblage enactment for erstwhile suburban Minneapolis constabulary serviceman Kim Potter, who says she meant to drawback her Taser alternatively of her handgun erstwhile she changeable and killed motorist Daunte Wright. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

MINNEAPOLIS – The assemblage for the proceedings of a suburban Minneapolis constabulary serviceman charged in Daunte Wright's shooting death began to instrumentality signifier Wednesday, with 9 of the indispensable 14 panelists seated, including a pistillate who said she owns some a weapon and a stun gun.

Kim Potter, 49, is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter successful the April 11 shooting of Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, pursuing a postulation halt successful the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center. Potter, who is white, has said she meant to usage her Taser connected Wright aft helium pulled distant from officers, but that she drew her handgun by mistake.

The stun weapon proprietor was asked whether she could acceptable speech what she knows astir her ain instrumentality — 1 she said she has ne'er utilized — and she said she could. She went connected to accidental that she powerfully disagrees that constabulary officers should not beryllium second-guessed for their decisions.

“This is simply a servitude job, and erstwhile you get into this position, you request to recognize that it’s a pugnacious occupation and truthful you person to support that level of professionalism erstwhile you get into that position," she said.

Also seated Wednesday was a pistillate who said she thought protests against constabulary successful the Minneapolis country person had a antagonistic effect due to the fact that of the spot harm immoderate person caused. She besides said she somewhat disagrees with the thought of defunding the police, saying “You’re ever going to request constabulary officers.”

A antheral chosen for the assemblage said successful his questionnaire that helium had “somewhat negative” impressions of some Potter and Wright. Asked wherefore astir Wright, helium said, “I don’t condone fleeing from a constabulary officer.” About Potter, helium said, “When grooming chap officers your actions should beryllium much thought out.”

Nine jurors person been seated, with opening statements scheduled for adjacent Wednesday. Fourteen jurors volition beryllium chosen, including 2 alternates.

Attorneys and Judge Regina Chu person probed imaginable jurors this week for what they knew astir Wright's decease and astir their views of protests against constabulary brutality that were predominant occurrences successful Minneapolis adjacent earlier George Floyd's death.

The process moved rapidly Wednesday, though a fistful of imaginable jurors were dismissed by the justice oregon done the constricted challenges disposable to each side. Prosecutor Matthew Frank utilized the 2nd of the state’s 3 peremptory challenges to onslaught a antheral who said helium was a hunter, weapon proprietor and Fox News viewer, and that helium hasn't seen immoderate grounds that constabulary dainty achromatic and Black radical differently.

On Tuesday — the archetypal time of assemblage enactment — an lawyer for Potter said jurors would perceive straight from the erstwhile officer, who resigned 2 days aft she changeable and killed Wright. Body-camera video recorded the shooting, with Potter heard saying, “Taser, Taser Taser” earlier she fired, followed by, “I grabbed the incorrect (expletive) gun.” .

“Officer Potter volition attest and archer you what she remembers happened, truthful you volition cognize not conscionable from the video but from the officers astatine the country and Officer Potter herself what was occurring,” Paul Engh, 1 of her attorneys, told a imaginable juror.

Wright was changeable successful Brooklyn Center arsenic erstwhile Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was lasting proceedings lone miles (kilometers) distant for sidesplitting Floyd, and Wright's decease sparked respective nights of aggravated protests successful the suburb.

Jurors' names were being withheld and they were not shown connected the livestream of the trial.

The astir superior complaint against Potter requires prosecutors to beryllium recklessness; the lesser lone requires them to beryllium culpable negligence. Minnesota's sentencing guidelines telephone for a condemnation of conscionable implicit 7 years connected the first-degree manslaughter number and 4 years connected the second-degree one. Prosecutors person said they would seek a longer sentence.

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Find the AP’s afloat sum of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright

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