Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter took the stand shortly before 11 AM local time on Friday at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Potter is facing one count of first-degree manslaughter and one count of second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting 20-year-old Daunte Wright earlier this year during a traffic stop. Initially questioned by her own lawyer, Earl Gray, Potter described having wanted to work in law enforcement since elementary school and her various experiences over the course of her multi-decade career. Soon, Gray brought up April 11, 2021—the day Wright lost his life after Potter claimed she mistook her gun for a Taser.
In Potter’s own words, had it not been for officer trainee Anthony Luckey wanting to stop Wright’s vehicle, she likely wouldn’t have pulled him over herself. Potter said she was advised “not to try to enforce a lot of those things because the [license plate] tags just were not in circulation” due to the pandemic. Wright was pulled over for expired license plate tags and for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, the latter a minor violation only recognized in at five other states.
Potter, who was dressed in modest clothes that appear to play on the Midwestern mom trope, only became emotional as she was describing the panic she saw in Sgt. Mychal Johnson’s eyes as he and Officer Luckey were attempting to prevent Wright from returning to his car and driving away. “He [Johnson] had a look of fear in his face. It’s nothing I’ve seen before,” Potter said. “We were struggling. We were trying to keep him from driving away. It just, it just went chaotic. And then I remember yelling, ‘Taser, taser, taser’ and nothing happened and then he [Johnson] told me I shot him,” Potter said, overcome with emotion yet emitting few visible tears.
Johnson was called as backup because, according to Potter, she and her trainee were only considered to be one officer instead of two due to Luckey’s inexperience, though that designation is beside the point, as the Brooklyn Center Police Department does not issue explicit official guidance in its manual regarding backup or secondary units when conducting a traffic stop. Ultimately, it’s up to whether an officer feels as if they’re in enough danger to warrant an additional unit responding.
Prosecutor Erin Eldridge was soon up to question Potter, who admitted that she failed to conduct a routine spark test at least seven shifts before the shift she began at 6 AM on April 11, 2021 that ultimately ended in her taking Wright’s life. A spark test is a one second-long test that ensures a Taser like the one Potter was equipped with is properly functioning. According to the Brooklyn Center Police Department’s own manual, “members carrying the TASER device should perform a spark test on the unit prior to every shift.”
Potter was able to correctly discern between the Taser and gun as well as spot the differences between their respective holsters when they were presented by Eldridge. The attorney also listed off incidents in which Potter at the least unholstered her Taser but didn’t fire it. Eldridge zeroed in on all the times that Potter had to correct Luckey, including entering information about Wright into a database. It’s worth noting that Potter failed to prevent Luckey from pulling Wright over in the first place, despite the fact that she’s admitted multiple times she wouldn’t have stopped Wright to begin with.
Potter admitted that Wright was nonviolent, used no threatening language, and appeared unarmed. Eldridge pushed back against Potter’s insistence on Wright being a potential danger due to a temporary protective order on his record. She claimed that the female passenger who was with him may have been involved and it was her duty to investigate who she was and whether she was safe. Under the Brooklyn Center Police Department manual, no such guidance exists for interacting with and questioning a passenger in a car that has been pulled over. Potter became emotional and started sobbing as Eldridge played back the footage of the 49-year-old grabbing a piece of paper from Wright’s hand then shortly after drawing her gun, exclaiming “Taser!” multiple times, before shooting Wright. The footage stopped before Potter shot Wright and her attorney called for a recess, which was granted by Judge Regina Chu.
When court resumed, Eldridge continued questioning Potter about her actions following the shooting. She noted that, once Potter realized she’d shot Wright, she failed to render aid or check in on Sgt. Johnson. She also failed to report to other officers what she had done. According to Potter, it would’ve been up to Sgt. Johnson to report the incident. The department’s manual confirms this and notes that the shift sergeant is “responsible for coordinating all aspects of the incident until he/she is relieved by the Chief of Police or a Division Commander.” She was excused from the witness stand after Gray questioned how close she was with her coworkers.
Judge Chu then told the jury what to expect on Monday, which will include closing arguments and instructions. The court took a half-hour recess, then reconvened to discuss jury instructions briefly before the trial ended for the day.
In Potter’s own words, had it not been for officer trainee Anthony Luckey wanting to stop Wright’s vehicle, she likely wouldn’t have pulled him over herself. Potter said she was advised “not to try to enforce a lot of those things because the [license plate] tags just were not in circulation” due to the pandemic. Wright was pulled over for expired license plate tags and for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, the latter a minor violation only recognized in at five other states.
Potter, who was dressed in modest clothes that appear to play on the Midwestern mom trope, only became emotional as she was describing the panic she saw in Sgt. Mychal Johnson’s eyes as he and Officer Luckey were attempting to prevent Wright from returning to his car and driving away. “He [Johnson] had a look of fear in his face. It’s nothing I’ve seen before,” Potter said. “We were struggling. We were trying to keep him from driving away. It just, it just went chaotic. And then I remember yelling, ‘Taser, taser, taser’ and nothing happened and then he [Johnson] told me I shot him,” Potter said, overcome with emotion yet emitting few visible tears.
Johnson was called as backup because, according to Potter, she and her trainee were only considered to be one officer instead of two due to Luckey’s inexperience, though that designation is beside the point, as the Brooklyn Center Police Department does not issue explicit official guidance in its manual regarding backup or secondary units when conducting a traffic stop. Ultimately, it’s up to whether an officer feels as if they’re in enough danger to warrant an additional unit responding.
Prosecutor Erin Eldridge was soon up to question Potter, who admitted that she failed to conduct a routine spark test at least seven shifts before the shift she began at 6 AM on April 11, 2021 that ultimately ended in her taking Wright’s life. A spark test is a one second-long test that ensures a Taser like the one Potter was equipped with is properly functioning. According to the Brooklyn Center Police Department’s own manual, “members carrying the TASER device should perform a spark test on the unit prior to every shift.”
Potter was able to correctly discern between the Taser and gun as well as spot the differences between their respective holsters when they were presented by Eldridge. The attorney also listed off incidents in which Potter at the least unholstered her Taser but didn’t fire it. Eldridge zeroed in on all the times that Potter had to correct Luckey, including entering information about Wright into a database. It’s worth noting that Potter failed to prevent Luckey from pulling Wright over in the first place, despite the fact that she’s admitted multiple times she wouldn’t have stopped Wright to begin with.
Potter admitted that Wright was nonviolent, used no threatening language, and appeared unarmed. Eldridge pushed back against Potter’s insistence on Wright being a potential danger due to a temporary protective order on his record. She claimed that the female passenger who was with him may have been involved and it was her duty to investigate who she was and whether she was safe. Under the Brooklyn Center Police Department manual, no such guidance exists for interacting with and questioning a passenger in a car that has been pulled over. Potter became emotional and started sobbing as Eldridge played back the footage of the 49-year-old grabbing a piece of paper from Wright’s hand then shortly after drawing her gun, exclaiming “Taser!” multiple times, before shooting Wright. The footage stopped before Potter shot Wright and her attorney called for a recess, which was granted by Judge Regina Chu.
When court resumed, Eldridge continued questioning Potter about her actions following the shooting. She noted that, once Potter realized she’d shot Wright, she failed to render aid or check in on Sgt. Johnson. She also failed to report to other officers what she had done. According to Potter, it would’ve been up to Sgt. Johnson to report the incident. The department’s manual confirms this and notes that the shift sergeant is “responsible for coordinating all aspects of the incident until he/she is relieved by the Chief of Police or a Division Commander.” She was excused from the witness stand after Gray questioned how close she was with her coworkers.
Judge Chu then told the jury what to expect on Monday, which will include closing arguments and instructions. The court took a half-hour recess, then reconvened to discuss jury instructions briefly before the trial ended for the day.