Video dominates as trial starts in Daunte Wright killing

2 years ago 260

MINNEAPOLIS – Prosecutors gathering their lawsuit against a suburban Minneapolis constabulary serviceman who killed Black motorist Daunte Wright repeatedly played body-camera video of the fatal shooting, with the serviceman heard shouting “Taser!” and past collapsing successful wails of “Oh my God!” aft she had alternatively fired her handgun.

They utilized their opening connection Wednesday to represent Kim Potter arsenic a seasoned bull who had been repeatedly trained successful Taser use, including warnings connected avoiding specified deadly mix-ups.

Potter's lawyer countered that she made an error, saying, “Police officers are quality beings.” And helium formed blasted connected Wright, saying each the 20-year-old had to bash that time was surrender.

Potter, 49, killed Wright, who wasn't armed, during a postulation halt connected April 11 successful Brooklyn Center. The achromatic serviceman resigned 2 days later. She's charged with manslaughter.

Jurors saw video from officers' assemblage cameras and the constabulary car dashboard that showed Potter threatening to sprout Wright with a Taser arsenic different serviceman tried to propulsion him retired of his car. After she changeable him with her gun, Potter tin beryllium heard saying, “I conscionable changeable him. ... I grabbed the incorrect (expletive) gun!"

A car clang tin beryllium heard aft Wright drives distant and Potter — who defence lawyer Paul Engh said had ne'er fired her weapon oregon Taser portion connected work successful her 26-year vocation — tin beryllium heard wailing uncontrollably afterward, “Oh my God. Oh my God!” earlier she crumples over.

Wright’s mother, Katie Bryant, testified astir the infinitesimal she saw her lad lying successful his car aft he'd been shot. She said she tried to interaction him done a video telephone aft losing an earlier telephone connection, and a pistillate — presumably Wright's rider — answered and screamed, “They changeable him!” and pointed the telephone toward the driver’s seat.

"And my lad was laying there. He was unresponsive and helium looked dead,” Bryant said done tears.

A mostly achromatic jury was seated past week successful the case, which sparked aggravated demonstrations extracurricular the Brooklyn Center constabulary presumption past outpouring conscionable arsenic erstwhile Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was connected proceedings 10 miles (16 kilometers) distant for sidesplitting George Floyd.

Engh told jurors that Potter made a mistake erstwhile she grabbed the incorrect limb and changeable Wright aft helium attempted to thrust distant portion she and different officers were trying to apprehension him.

The charges don’t necessitate impervious that Potter intended to termination Wright, and authoritative Erin Eldridge noted arsenic overmuch for the jury.

But Engh besides told jurors that Potter would person been justified successful shooting Wright adjacent if she had consciously chosen to gully her handgun, arguing that deadly unit was warranted to support her chap officers. He said constabulary had crushed to judge that Wright mightiness person a weapon and that 1 of the officers had reached wrong Wright’s car and was astatine hazard of being dragged if Wright drove away.

In her opening statement, Eldridge told jurors that Potter violated her extended grooming — including connected the risks of firing the incorrect limb — and “betrayed a 20-year-old kid.”

“This is precisely what she had been trained for years to prevent,” Eldridge said. “But connected April 11, she betrayed her badge and she failed Daunte Wright.”

Potter, who has told the tribunal she volition testify, was grooming a caller serviceman when they pulled Wright over for having expired licence sheet tags and an aerial freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

The serviceman Potter was grooming that day, Anthony Luckey, testified that during the stop, helium smelled marijuana and saw marijuana residue connected the car's console. He besides said Wright didn’t person a licence and produced an expired impervious of security that was nether different person's name.

After discovering determination was a warrant for Wright’s apprehension connected a weapons complaint and a restraining bid against Wright, Luckey said helium was going to enactment Wright successful handcuffs and cheque connected the payment of the pistillate successful the car, and helium asked Wright to get out.

But arsenic Luckey tried to handcuff him, Wright struggled retired of the officer's grip and got backmost into the car. Luckey said helium was reaching into the car erstwhile helium heard the gunshot, and that helium past jumped backmost and saw Wright enactment the car successful thrust earlier it took off.

Prosecutors accidental Potter had extended training, and it included an explicit informing astir confusing a handgun with a Taser that besides directed officers “to larn the differences betwixt their Taser and firearm to debar specified confusion.”

Eldridge told jurors that officers are required to transportation their Taser connected their nondominant broadside and their firearm connected their ascendant side. Potter carried her weapon connected her close and her Taser connected her left, wherever it was successful a “straight draw” presumption to beryllium drawn with that near hand.

“The lone limb she draws with her close manus is her gun, not her Taser,” Eldridge said.

The astir superior complaint against Potter requires prosecutors to beryllium recklessness, portion the lesser requires them to beryllium culpable negligence. Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines telephone for a situation word of conscionable implicit 7 years connected the first-degree manslaughter number and 4 years connected the second-degree one. Prosecutors person said they volition question a longer sentence.

Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday helium is preparing the National Guard to assistance with information if needed aft a verdict successful the case.

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Associated Press writers Tammy Webber successful Fenton, Michigan, and Mohamed Ibrahim successful Minneapolis contributed.

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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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