Daunte Wright shooting was not justified: use-of-force expert
Former Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter was not justified in fatally shooting Daunte Wright, a use-of-force expert testified Wednesday.
Kim Potter was charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter after she shot and killed Daunte Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minn., in April 2021. She has claimed she mistook her gun for a Taser when she drew and fired at Wright inside his car.
“The use of deadly force was not appropriate and the evidence suggests a reasonable officer in Officer Potter’s position could not have believed it was proportional to the threat at the time,” University of South Carolina law professor Seth Stoughton said.
Video of the incident shows Wright attempting to drive away and Potter shouting “I’ll Tase you” before shooting.
Stoughton, who also testified during the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, said Potter acted unreasonably in a number of ways, including by possibly turning Wright’s vehicle into a weapon after shooting him and leaving him incapacitated and the car still in motion.
Wright’s car collided with another and several people were injured.
Further, Stoughton said, using the Taser on Wright would likely have produced a similar, hazardous result: an out-of-control car and driver unable to operate it.
A day before, prosecutor Matthew Frank went over Brooklyn Center’s police training manual, which includes information about when not to use a Taser, including when suspect is trying to flee and when the suspect is in a vehicle, both of which applied to Wright.
Potter faces more than 11 years in prison if convicted of both charges.
With News Wire Services
