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
George Floyd's girlfriend once taught Daunte Wright
George Floyd’s girlfriend once taught Daunte Wright while he was in high school, the 20-year-old’s family and Mr Floyd’s partner have said.
CBS News reported that Mr Wright’s aunt, Naisha Wright, revealed the connection between the two families alongside their attorney, Ben Crump, on Tuesday.
Both Mr Floyd and Mr Wright died while in the custody of police in the Minneapolis area and ongoing tension in the city comes as the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-officer charged with killing Mr Floyd, continues.
"The craziest thing is to find out today that my family has connections to this man, to this family,” Ms Wright said. “His girlfriend was a teacher for my nephew. My nephew was a lovable young man. His smile, oh lord, the most beautiful smile. Ya'll took that."
Courteney Ross, Mr Floyd’s girlfriend, said she knew Mr Wright, who was fatally shot by police on Sunday, The Washington Post confirmed.
Ms Ross is reported to have said Mr Wright was a student while she was a dean at Edison High School and was “a silly boy, as goofy as can be,” who required extra attention because he “needed a lot of love.”
Three of fifteen officers who mistook guns for tasers convicted, report says
A review by The New York Times of 15 cases of “weapon confusion” over the past 20 years has shown that only three, including the only two cases in which people were killed, were eventually found guilty.
In 15 cases reviewed by The Times, two incidents in which people were killed resulted in manslaughter convictions by juries, the newspaper said. A third case in which someone was injured led to a third officer pleading guilty to a lesser charge.
“When you’re talking about cases where the excuse is it’s an accident, they’re just not easy to prove,” Geoffrey P Alpert, a criminologist at the University of South Carolina who studies the use of force, told the newspaper.
Two other cases are pending.
‘An indefensible system’: AOC leads calls to abolish police after Daunte Wright killing
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has described the police killing of Daunte Wright as no “accident”, and once again led calls for the abolition of the police.
Gino Spocchia reports:
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AOC leads calls to abolish the police after Daunte Wright killing
GoFundMe raises half a million for Daunte Wright memorial fund
A GoFundMe campaign for a memorial fund for Daunte Wright has raised over half a million dollars towards covering funeral and burial expenses, mental health, and grief counseling, providing support for Mr Wright’s infant son.
The campaign, which was started two days ago, has already surpassed its $500,000 goal, having currently raised $572,778.
The GoFundMe page, which is being managed by Ben Crump Law reads: “Our family is distraught as we struggle to understand why our loved one was taken away from us in such a senseless manner.”
“The road to justice is very long, and the Wright family will not let what happened to Daunte be forgotten.”
Forensic pathologist David Fowler takes the stand for defence
The first witness of the day is David Fowler, a forensic pathologist called by the defence.
George Floyd’s friend who was in the car during his arrest won’t be forced to testify in Chauvin trial
A friend who was in George Floyd’s car moments before he was arrested, and who allegedly sold Mr Floyd drugs in the past, will not be forced to testify in the Derek Chauvin trial. Judge Peter Cahill ruled on Wednesday that calling Morries Hall to testify, as the defence had demanded via a subpoena, would violate his 5th Amendment rights against self-incrimination. “If he puts himself in that car, he exposes himself to possession charges,” Adrienne Cousins, Mr Hall’s lawyer, testified during a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday.
At the time of Mr Floyd’s fatal arrest, Mr Hall had outstanding warrants for arrest on felony firearms, assault, and drug possession charges, and reportedly gave a false name to police.
A police search later found drugs inside the car both men were sitting in prior to Mr Floyd’s arrest. I’ve got more details here.
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Friend in car with George Floyd during arrest won’t be forced to testify
Defence forensic witness is target of civil rights right suit in past
David Fowler, the forensic pathologist currently testifying for the defence, is also the target of a civil rights filed in December. It accuses him and others of having “covered up and obscured police responsibility” for the death of Anton Black, a 19-year-old who died as multiple officers were on top of him during a police restraint.
The Intercept has more background on that one.
Heart problems killed George Floyd, pathologist testifies at Derek Chauvin trial
George Floyd was primarily killed by heart problems, fentanyl in his system, police kneeling on top of him, inhaling car exhaust while he was on the ground, and a tumor in his hip, a forensic pathologist testified on Wednesday. “Ass of those combined to cause Mr Floyd’s death,” said Dr David Fowler, an expert witness for the defence.
Most medical experts in the trial so far have pinned the cause of death on police restraints to Mr Floyd, with other factors Mr Fowler mentioned playing a secondary role. I’ve got more details here.
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Heart problems killed George Floyd, not police, pathologist testifies
Here’s what other medical experts have said about George Floyd’s death
Police were not George Floyd’s primary cause of death, pathologist Dr David Fowler is not testifying.
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Heart problems killed George Floyd, not police, pathologist testifies
That goes against what many of the past medical experts have said in the trial so far. Here’s some of our coverage on this contentious issue in the Derek Chauvin trial.
Fentanyl didn’t slow George Floyd’s breathing, lung expert testifies
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George Floyd died from ‘no oxygen’ in body, second medical expert says
Kim Potter: Former police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright will face manslaughter charges
Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, will face manslaughter charges, authorities say.
Graeme Massie is following that one. Read more here.
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