Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who drew a gun instead of a Taser and fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, was found guilty on Thursday of first and second-degree manslaughter in his death.
Daunte Wright was fatally shot on April 11 after he was pulled over by police for an expired tag and an illegal air freshener. During his stop, the officers learned he had an outstanding warrant and tried to arrest him but he pulled away and attempted to drive off.
Potter yelled “Taser” several times in the video obtained before she shot Wright with her handgun, after which she exclaimed “Holy sh*t! I just shot him.” She also added, “I grabbed the wrong f**king gun, and I shot him.” Days later, she resigned from the department.
Wright’s parents, Arbuey Wright and Katie Bryant, were also present. “The moment we heard guilty on manslaughter, one emotions, every single emotion that you can imagine running through your body. I kind of let out a yelp because it was built up in the anticipation.” Bryant told CNN reporters.
“We still don’t have Daunte home. And this is just a step forward in the bigger issue with policing and hopefully there has to be no more Dauntes. No more Dauntes and so many more names we chant in our streets.” Bryant told CNN on Thursday evening.
