Daunte Wright shooting: Kim Potter’s mugshot released as ex-police officer faces manslaughter charges
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Your support makes all the difference.Kim Potter, the white police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop on Sunday has been charged with manslaughter.
A GoFundMe campaign for a memorial fund for Mr Wright has raised over half a million dollars towards covering funeral and providing support for his family.
Minneapolis faced its third night of civil unrest on Tuesday after the killing, which occurred in the suburb of Brooklyn Center. Tensions are already high amid the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, last May.
Both Ms Potter and Brooklyn Center police chief Tim Gannon resigned on Tuesday. In body camera footage, Ms Potter appears to mistakenly withdraw her pistol when trying to pull out her Taser.
Mr Wright’s mother delivered a striking eulogy on Tuesday, 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.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
Welcome toThe Independent’s rolling coverage of the unrest in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright by former police officer Kim Potter during a traffic stop.
Decision expected on charges for Kim Potter
Prosecutors expect to decide today whether to charge the white former Brooklyn Center police officer in the shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb.
Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon resigned on Tuesday, two days after Ms Potter shot Mr Wright. Mr Gannon has said he believed Ms Potter mistakenly grabbed her pistol when she was trying to pull out her Taser.
Washington County Attorney Pete Orput told WCCO-AM that he had received information on the case from state investigators and hoped to have a charging decision on Wednesday.
Decision expected on charges for cop who shot Black motorist
Prosecutors expect to decide Wednesday whether to charge the white former police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, sparking nights of protests and raising tensions amid the nearby murder trial of the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd
Reporting by the Associated Press
Guns and Tasers: is it hard to confuse the two, and has it happened before?
Is it hard to tell the difference between a gun and a Taser?
Fatal mix-ups between guns and Tasers have happened before
AOC calls shooting of Daunte Wright ‘systemic problem’
Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has condemned the “indefensible system” that she says led to the shooting of Daunte Wright.
In a post on Twitter late on Tuesday, AOC insisted: “Daunte Wright’s killing was not a random, disconnected ‘accident’.”
She said the shooting was “the repeated outcome of an indefensible system that grants impunity for state violence” and “rewards it” with “endlessly growing budgets at the cost of community investment.”
The New York representative added: “Cameras, chokehold bans, ‘retraining’ funds, and similar reform measures do not ultimately solve what is a systemic problem.”
Third night of unrest erupts in Minneapolis suburb
Police and protesters clashed for the third night in a row on Tuesday night, with hundreds of demonstrators gathering again at Brooklyn Center’s heavily guarded police headquarters.
The headquarters is now ringed by concrete barriers and a tall metal fence, with police in riot gear and National Guard soldiers standing watch.
State police announced over a loudspeaker around 90 minutes before a 10pm curfew, that the gathering had been declared unlawful and ordered the crowds to disperse.
Protesters were seen launching fireworks toward the station and throwing objects at police, who launched flashbangs and gas grenades, and then marched in a line to force back the crowd.
The state police said the dispersal order came before the curfew because protesters were trying to take down the fencing and throwing rocks at police.
The number of protesters dropped rapidly over the next hour, until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media to leave the scene.
Chief of the Minnesota State Patrol Matt Langer told CNN the unified command in Brooklyn Center made “upwards of 60 arrests” on Tuesday night, many of which were for “riot and other criminal behaviors.”
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
Daunte Wright’s mother honours slain son: ‘My heart is broken in a thousand pieces’
The mother of Daunte Wright has delivered a striking eulogy for her slain child - praising him as both a father and a son, and saying she had no idea how she will manage without him.
Andrew Buncombe reports from Brooklyn Center in Minnesota:
Daunte Wright’s mother honours slain son: ‘I miss him so much, and it’s only been a day’
Female officer who shot young man identified as 26-year veteran of force
CNN reporter challenged on air in tense scenes from Minneapolis
A reporter for CNN was challenged live on air by a protester in Minneapolis, where street clashes were ongoing for a third night following the fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, Gino Spocchia reports.
How to help Daunte Wright’s family
This is how you can help Daunte Wright’s family
Here are a few places where you can donate your time or money to help the Brooklyn Center community heal
‘Liberty and justice for all’: Minnesota Timberwolves honour Daunte Wright
The Minnesota Timberwolves honored Daunte Wright with T-shirts and a moment of silence before the NBA team's game against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
The team wore shirts that read “With liberty and justice FOR ALL” during their pre-game warmups and held a moment of silence on the court prior to the playing of the national anthem, The Hill reported.
The team announced in a statement on Monday that they would postpone a game scheduled for that night, alongside the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Wild.
Biden under pressure to move on police reform after ‘God awful shooting’
Joe Biden is facing another national reckoning over police violence and the deaths of unarmed Black Americans in the wake of the killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
Alex Woodward reports:
After ‘God awful shooting’ of Daunte Wright, Biden under pressure to move on police reform
White House quietly abandons plan for national commission on police reform as Congress mulls bipartisan efforts on George Floyd bill
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