Daunte Wright news: Kim Potter flees home as unrest expected ahead of charging decision Wednesday
Updates from Minnesota following protests overnight
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Your support makes all the difference.Officer Kim Potterreportedly fled her home after her address was posted to social media, while the mayor of Brooklyn Centre warned of "outside elements" planning to turn peaceful protests into "mayhem".
After 40 people were arrested on Monday night, mayor Mike Elliott asked protesters to go home peacefully before the city’s curfew on Tuesday.
Police fired tear gas at protesters gathered outside the Brooklyn Centre, Minnesota police precinct, in reaction to the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright who was fatally shot by an officer over the weekend
Mr Elliott said there were plans among some “outside elements” plans to turn peaceful protests into “mayhem”.
“Daunte Wright’s death will not be exploited,” he said in a tweet.
“Some outside elements may be planning to show up to infiltrate peaceful protesters and cause mayhem, we will not allow that.”
Both Ms Potter and the police chief who called the shooting an "accidental discharge" resigned from the police department ahead of a charging decision expected to come on Wednesday.
In an emotional press conference, the mother of Daunte Wright described her son’s final moments as she revealed some of his last words to police before he was shot and killed in a traffic stop.
“Am I in trouble?” she heard her son ask police officers before they “scuffled” and the phone call ended.
She was joined by family members of George Floyd, who are currently awaiting the outcome in the trial of Derek Chauvin.
The defence witnesses began delivering testimony this week, with their use of force expert Barry Brood claiming the ex-officer was "justified" in attempting to arrest Mr Floyd.
“I felt that office Chauvin’s interactions with Mr Floyd were following his training, following current practices in policing, and were objectively reasonable,” he said.
Check out The Independent’s updates and analysis below.
Defence to begin presenting its case in Derek Chauvin trial on Tuesday
The defence is scheduled to begin presenting its case in Derek Chauvin trial on Tuesday, with judge Peter A Cahill expecting all evidence to be finished by the end of this week.
Mr Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is on trial for murder after he knelt for more than nine minutes on the neck of Mr Floyd, an unarmed Black man, during an arrest for a counterfeit $20 bill on 25 May 2020.
On Monday, cardiologist Dr Jonathan Rich, an expert witness called by the state, testified that Mr Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for minutes, along with other police restraints, triggered a cardiopulmonary arrest that killed him.
“He was trying to get enough oxygen, and because he was unable to because of the position that he was subjected to, the heart didn’t have enough oxygen either, which means the entire body is deprived of oxygen,” he said.
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Cardiologist says police, not drug overdose, killed George Floyd
State rests as defence calls first witness
The state of Minnesota finished presenting its case at the start of Derek Chauvin’s trial on Tuesday, as the defence called its first witness.
The defence called Scott Creighton as its first witness on Tuesday, as it began presenting evidence, with judge Peter A Cahill expecting all evidence to be finished by the end of this week.
Mr Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is on trial for murder after he knelt for more than nine minutes on the neck of Mr Floyd, an unarmed Black man, during an arrest for a counterfeit $20 bill on 25 May 2020.
Floyd family attorney to hold press conference today with Floyd and Wright families
Benjamin Crump, the attorney of the families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright, will hold a press conference outside of the Hennepin County Courthouse today.
The event is scheduled for 12pm CT (6pm BST) outside of the courthouse where former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of Mr Floyd.
Mr Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is on trial for murder after he knelt for more than nine minutes on the neck of Mr Floyd, an unarmed Black man, during an arrest for a counterfeit $20 bill on 25 May 2020.
On Monday, Mr Crump also became the attorney of the family of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old who was fatally shot by an officer over the weekend.
Mr Crump will be joined at the press conference on Tuesday by the families of Mr Floyd and Mr Wright.
Trial plays video from George Floyd’s 2019 arrest
The defence is now playing body camera video from George Floyd’s previous 2019 arrest, as former Minneapolis police officer Scott Creighton testifies.
Judge Peter Cahill has stipulated that the video is only relevant so far as it could show the previous effect of opioid use on Mr Floyd.
2019 arrest videos show George Floyd afraid police will shoot him
The defence has concluded airing a 2019 arrest video of George Floyd. Defence attorney Eric Nelson noted how during the arrest, an officer can be heard telling Mr Floyd to “spit it out,” a potential reference to drugs.
State prosecutors, meanwhile, argued that Mr Floyd appeared coherent, could walk and talk with officers, and that he may have appeared anxious because officers had drawn their guns soon after pulling Mr Floyd over.
Paramedic who treated George Floyd after 2019 arrest testifies
Next up is Michelle Monseng, a former paramedic who treated George Floyd after his 2019 arrest.
Paramedic who treated George Floyd in 2019 said she was concerned about high blood pressure
Michelle Monseng, a former paramedic who treated George Floyd after his 2019 arrest, testified that he had elevated blood pressure and told her he hadn’t been taking his medication.
However, he did eventually tell Ms Monseng he was “addicted” to opioids, taking 7 to 10 every 20 minutes or so, she recalled on the stand.
Woman in car with George Floyd right before fatal arrest takes the stand
Shawanda Hill, who was in the back seat of George Floyd’s car right before he encountered the police on the day of his fatal arrest, is the next witness to testify during the Derek Chauvin trial.
‘I tried to wake him up over and over,’ George Floyd’s friend says of sudden sleep before fatal arrest
George Floyd was in and out of sleep in the moments before police arrived the day of his fatal arrest, Shawanda Hill, a friend who was in his car at the time, testified on Tuesday.
“I tried to wake him up over and over,” she said.
Prior to that, Mr Floyd was “normal, talking, alert” in a store, but fell asleep after he returned to the car.
He woke up when police arrived and an officer tapped on his car window with a flashlight and drew his gun.
“I said Floyd, the police are here, it’s about the 20 bill it isn’t real,” Ms Hill said, before describing how Mr Floyd began begging police not to shoot him.
Park police officer who assisted with George Floyd arrest testifies
Peter Chang, a Minneapolis park police officer who assisted with George Floyd’s arrest the day he died, is now testifying.
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