Daunte Wright news: Kim Potter flees home as unrest expected ahead of charging decision Wednesday

Hello and welcome toThe Independent’s rolling coverage of the protests in Minnesota and the 12th day of the Derek Chauvin trial.

The police force broke its own rules by using tear gas on protesters in Minnesota on Monday evening, after the Brooklyn Centre police passed an ordinance banning it and other chemical irritants.

At around 8pm on Monday, the Brooklyn Centre police passed an ordinance banning tear gas and other chemical irritants for use on the protesters who had stayed out past the 7pm curfew issued by Minnesota governor Tim Walz.

However, just a few minutes later, videos posted to Twitter showed officers using tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, all of which were banned by the ordinance.

At a press conference at around 12:30 am on Tuesday, the police revealed that some officers deployed chemical irritants and flashbangs to disperse protesters during the demonstrations in Minnesota.

Around 40 people were arrested at protests in Minnesota on Monday night, in reaction to the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright who was fatally shot by an officer over the weekend.

The police confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday morning that about 40 arrests were made during protests earlier that evening, as colonel Matt Langer with the Minnesota State Patrol confirmed that the reason for them varied from rioting to violations of the curfew.

The authorities also revealed that there were five instances of burglaries in the area during the protest, as a local Dollar Tree store had its windows damaged, while smoke was seen originating from inside it.

The police officer who shot dead 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop at a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday has been identified as Kimberly Potter, a veteran of 26 years of the force.

The identity of the 48-year-old officer, who “accidentally” shot the Black man, was released on Monday night by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Ms Potter is currently on administrative leave following the fatal shooting.

The officer got her Minnesota police officer’s license in 1995 when she was 22 and was later inducted into the Brooklyn Center Police Department, serving on the force’s negotiation team.

Read Shweta Sharma’s full report here:

The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright on Sunday afternoon was training another officer at the time of the killing.

Kimberly Potter, 48, was was identified on Monday evening as the veteran police officer who fatally shot Mr Wright, 20, while driving with his girlfriend.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association toldThe Star Tribune on Monday evening that that at least one of the officers with Ms Potter at the time of the incident was a rookie that she was training in Brooklyn Center.

Association head Brian Peters told the Tribune that Ms Potter, who has been on the force for 26 years, was training a new officer in her role as a field training officer at the time of Mr Wright’s death.

The mother of Daunte Wright has delivered a striking eulogy for her slain child on Monday evening - praising him as both a father and a son, and saying she had no idea how she will manage without him.

“I just need everyone to know that he is much more than this. He had a smile that was angelic,” said Katie Wright, at a vigil attended by hundreds of people.

“My heart is literally broken in 1,000 pieces. I miss him so much, and it’s only been a day.”

She added: “He was my life, he was my son and I can never get that back. Because of a mistake? Because of an accident?”

Read Andrew Buncombe’s full report here:

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for Daunte Wright’s family to receive “justice,” following the unarmed 20-year-old being fatally shot by an officer over the weekend.

“Daunte Wright should be alive. There must be an unbiased and transparent investigation into his shooting death,” the prominent Democratic figure wrote on Monday evening.

“The Brooklyn Center community in Minnesota deserves justice. His family deserves justice.”

Officer Kimberly Potter, a veteran of 26 years of the force, fatally shot Mr Wright on Sunday afternoon, and has since been placed on administrative leave.

Daunte Wright’s parents have spoken out about their son’s death, saying that they “can’t accept” that his killing was “a mistake.”

Mr Wright, an unarmed father of a two-year-old, was fatally shot by officer Kimberly Potter, a veteran of 26 years of the force, on Sunday afternoon while driving with his girlfriend.

He was pulled over by officers for having an air freshener dangling from his rear view mirror, an offence in Minnesota, and was subsequently fatally shot while attempting to re-enter his vehicle following a short struggle.

The footage showed the officer, warning “taser, taser”, as police are trained to do when using the non-lethal device, but Ms Potter ended up firing with a gun, instantly reacting: “Holy s***, I just shot him.” She has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

In a press conference on Monday, police chief Tim Gannon said that it was “an accidental discharge that resulted in the death of Mr Wright” and claimed that the officer intended to use her taser.

Speaking toGood Morning America on Tuesday morning, Mr Wright’s father, Aubrey Wright, said: “I can’t accept that - a mistake, that doesn’t even sound right. This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can’t accept that.”

A database created by The Star Tribune has revealed that there have been at least 207 police-involved deaths in Minnesota since 2000, following the killing of Daunte Wright on Sunday.

Mr Wright, an unarmed father of a two-year-old, was fatally shot by officer Kimberly Potter, a veteran of 26 years of the force, on Sunday afternoon while driving with his girlfriend.

He was pulled over by officers for having an air freshener dangling from his rear view mirror, an offence in Minnesota, and was subsequently fatally shot while attempting to re-enter his vehicle following a short struggle.

The footage showed the officer, warning “taser, taser”, as police are trained to do when using the non-lethal device, but Ms Potter ended up firing with a gun, instantly reacting: “Holy s***, I just shot him.” She has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

The Tribune continues to update its database after every new incident, and defines police-involved deaths as someone who died “after a physical confrontation with law enforcement.”

Minnesota police criticised what it described as “riotous behaviour” during protests in Minnesota following the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright who was fatally shot by an officer over the weekend.

The authorities gave an update on the demonstrations during a press conference in the early hours of Tuesday morning, as Booker Hodges, Minnesota Department of Public Safety assistant commissioner criticised some of the scenes.

“We just want to say thank you for all the people who came out and exercised their First Amendment right in a peaceful manner,” Mr Hodges told reporters at around 12:30am on Tuesday morning.

“Unfortunately, there were those who decided not to do that and the plans we put in place over the last few months were executed.

“For months we’ve been saying riotous behaviour is just not going to be tolerated, and unfortunately tonight, that is some of the things we encountered,” he added.

Mr Hodges was referring to the months of protests that took place last year following the death of Mr Floyd, where police clashed with protesters and the National Guard was deployed to deal with the crowds of people on the streets of nearby Minneapolis.