A Minnesota judge ruled on Monday that the manslaughter case against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer; Kim potter, who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright, can proceed. And she set a trial date for December.
Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is white, will stand trial Dec. 6, barring any future scheduling conflicts; Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu said during a pretrial hearing.
“I do find that there’s probable cause to support the charge against the defendant, Ms. Potter,” Judge Chu said.
Potter, who is charged with second-degree manslaughter, appeared at the hearing via videoconference with her attorney Earl Gray; and sat some distance behind him in his office. She looked straight ahead at the video screen and had little reaction during the hearing, saying, “Yes, your honor,” when the judge asked if the hearing could go forward via videoconference. However Potter did not enter a plea during the hearing.
Daunte Wright was killed on the 11th of April during a struggle with police after a traffic stop. The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said he believes Potter meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun. Body camera video shows her shouting “Taser!” multiple times before firing. Protesters and Wright’s family have disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.His family had wanted prosecutors to file murder charges instead of Manslaughter.
