The latest on the police shooting of Daunte Wright

By Mike Hayes, Melissa Macaya, Melissa Mahtani and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 10:30 PM ET, Wed April 14, 2021
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6:06 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

Former officer charged in Daunte Wright shooting to appear in court Thursday

From CNN’s Keith Allen

Former Brooklyn Center Police officer Kimberly Potter will make her first court appearance Thursday at 1:30 pm CT, according to Minnesota Judicial Branch spokesperson Kyle Christopherson. 

Potter is scheduled to appear before Judge Nicole A. Engisch, according to Christopherson. The hearing will be held via Zoom, Christopherson said.

More context: Potter was arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter in the killing of Daunte Wright earlier Wednesday. 

She is currently being held in the Hennepin County Jail on $100,000 bail, according to the criminal complaint.

5:33 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

Curfew called for third night in Brooklyn Center

From CNN’s Keith Allen

A 10 pm CT curfew will remain in-effect in Brooklyn Center Wednesday night, Mayor Mike Elliott said at a news conference this afternoon

This marks the third consecutive night the city will have a curfew in the wake of Sunday’s fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright.

The curfew extends until 6 am CT Thursday morning, Elliott said.

4:31 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

More than 3,000 National Guard members activated in Twin Cities area this week

From CNN’s Keith Allen

A member of the National Guard walks past a boarded up store front as he patrol downtown Minneapolis on April 14.
A member of the National Guard walks past a boarded up store front as he patrol downtown Minneapolis on April 14. Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images

With the Derek Chauvin trial underway in Minneapolis and three consecutive nights of unrest on the streets of nearby Brooklyn Center following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright, more than 3,000 Minnesota National Guard members have now been activated in the Twin Cities area, according to a tweet from Operation Safety Net (OSN) Wednesday afternoon.

OSN also updated their arrest numbers from Tuesday night’s protests near the Brooklyn Center Police Department, saying in a tweet that 79 arrests were made.

“Arrests were for a range of charges including inciting riot and unlawful assembly,” OSN said.

4:00 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

Officer shot Wright with a Glock handgun holstered on her right side, county attorney says

From CNN’s Keith Allen

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput issued a news release Wednesday afternoon which included a summary of the criminal complaint filed against former Brooklyn Center Police Officer, Kimberly Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright.

In the release, Orput said Potter was a field training officer when she and another officer pulled over Daunte Wright in a white Buick on Sunday afternoon. The officer training with Potter, Anthony Luckey, determined Wright had a warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge, according to the release.

Wright, Potter and Luckey were outside the Buick’s driver side door when Luckey told Wright he was being arrested for the outstanding warrant, according to the complaint cited in the release.

“Both Wright and Officer Luckey were standing just outside of the driver’s side door, which was open, and Potter was standing behind and to the right of the other officer. At 2:01:49, Wright pulled away from the officers and got back into the driver’s seat of his car, with Officer Luckey trying to maintain physical control of Wright,” according to the criminal complaint.

After saying she would tase Wright, she instead "pulled her Glock 9mm handgun with her right hand and pointed it at Wright, saying again that she would tase him,” the news release states. Potter said “Taser, Taser, Taser,” pulled the trigger on her handgun, and fired one round into Wright’s left side of the victim, according to the complaint cited in the news release.

Wright immediately said, “ah, he shot me,” and drove away before crashing into another vehicle. Wright was pronounced dead at the scene, as mentioned in previous CNN reporting. 

After firing her gun, Potter said “Sh**, I just shot him!” 

“A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator examined Potter’s duty belt and saw that the handgun is holstered on the right side of the belt and her Taser is on the left side. The grips or handles of both the gun and Taser face Potter’s rear. The Taser is yellow with a black grip. Also, the Taser is set in a straight-draw position, meaning Potter would have to use her left hand to pull the Taser out of its holster,” according to the release. 

Wright’s death was ruled a homicide on Monday, and Potter was arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter in the killing of Wright earlier in the day Wednesday.

“Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer,” Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief and director of the Major Crime Unit said in the release. “With that responsibility comes a great deal of discretion and accountability. We will vigorously prosecute this case and intend to prove that Officer Potter abrogated her responsibility to protect the public when she used her firearm rather than her taser. Her action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Wright and she must be held accountable. County Attorney Peter Orput and I met with the family, expressed our deepest sympathies and assured them we would spare no resources in seeking justice for Mr. Wright.” 

The Washington County Attorney’s Office say they will not be holding a news conference, and the full criminal complaint was not included in the release.

2:10 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

Former officer charged in Daunte Wright shooting has been booked into jail 

From CNN’s Eric Fiegel

Former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter has been booked into the Hennepin County Jail, according to online jail records.

She was booked 37 minutes after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said they arrested her.

Potter was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of Daunte Wright.

1:56 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

NAACP and Brooklyn Center mayor react to charges filed against officer who shot Daunte Wright

From CNN’s Dianne Gallagher and Adrienne Broaddus 

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Derrick Johnson said “justice must prevail” in response to Washington County Attorney Pete Orput’s decision to file second degree manslaughter charges against former officer Kim Potter. 

"A badge should never be a shield to accountability. Daunte Wright was brutally killed by a police officer, and justice must prevail," Johnson said. 

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott tweeted after the charges were announced, saying “Daunte Wright like many other black and brown members of our community should be alive and at home with his family today. #DaunteWright”

1:55 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

"No conviction can give the Wright family their loved one back," attorney Ben Crump says  

From CNN’s Brad Parks 

Attorney Ben Crump, center, speaks during a press conference with the families of Daunte Wright and George Floyd outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 13.
Attorney Ben Crump, center, speaks during a press conference with the families of Daunte Wright and George Floyd outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 13. Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images

Attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family of Daunte Wright, reacted to the news that former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter has been charged with second degree manslaughter. 

Crump said while they “appreciate that the District Attorney is pursuing justice for Daunte, no conviction can give the Wright family their loved one back.”

“Driving while Black continues to result in a death sentence. A 26-year veteran of the force knows the difference between a taser and a firearm. Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant,” Crump said. 

The family will hold a news conference tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET, Crump said in the statement. 

Potter was arrested by agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and is expected to be booked into the Hennepin County Jail.

1:22 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

White House won't weigh in on whether officer who shot Daunte Wright should face charges

From CNN's Maegan Vazquez

White House press secretary Jen Psaki takes questions during a press briefing on Wednesday.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki takes questions during a press briefing on Wednesday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

White House press secretary Jen Psaki would not weigh in on whether President Biden believes the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright should face charges. 

“I’m not going to weigh in on legal or law enforcement actions. We’ll leave that to the courts and law enforcement authorities on the ground,” Psaki said during Wednesday’s press briefing. 

Kim Potter, the Brooklyn Center police officer who resigned from the force after the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Wright, was charged with second-degree manslaughter in his death earlier today, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said.

Psaki said the administration remains focused on its legislative efforts on police reform.

She would not say whether Biden would reinstate a practice of investigations into local police departments to identify civil rights abuses previously pursued under the Obama administration. She directed the reporter’s question to the attorney general.

“All of these incidents … are just a reminder that too often in the is country law enforcement uses unnecessary force and too often that results in the death of Black Americans,” Psaki said. 

She would not directly answer why Biden has not issued an executive order prohibiting local law enforcement from using military equipment – similar to an order issued during the Obama administration. Psaki said the Biden administration is working with civil rights leaders to address their concerns and pass the George Floyd Act.  

“I know that does not solve all the issues. We’re not suggesting that. I would say this is an issue that will be a cause of President Biden’s time in office, and we are less than 100 days in. There is more to come. Right now, our focus is on working toward getting that legislation passed,” she said.

1:07 p.m. ET, April 14, 2021

Officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright has been arrested

From CNN’s Carma Hassan and Eric Fiegel

Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter at 12:30 p.m. ET in connection to the killing of Daunte Wright, according to a statement from the BCA.

Potter is expected to be booked into the Hennepin County Jail on probable cause second-degree manslaughter, the BCA said.

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced he has charged Potter with second-degree manslaughter for killing Wright during a traffic stop Sunday.