BROOKLYN CENTER, Minneapolis (AP) – Prosecutors expect to decide Wednesday whether to charge a former white police officer who fatally shot a black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, sparking nights of protests and rising tensions in the middle of the next murder trial. of the ex-officer accused of killing George Floyd.
Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter and police chief Tim Gannon resigned Tuesday, two days after Potter shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Gannon has said he believed Potter mistakenly grabbed his gun when he tried to pull out the Taser.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott He said at a news conference that the city had advanced towards the dismissal of Potter, a 26-year-old veteran, when he resigned. Elliott said he hoped his resignation “would bring some calm to the community,” but that he would continue to work toward “full responsibility under the law.”
Washington County Attorney Pete Orput told WCCO-AM he had received information about the case from state investigators and expected to have a charge decision on Wednesday. Orput did not respond to any messages from The Associated Press. While the shooting happened in Hennepin County, prosecutors referred the case to nearby Washington County, a Minneapolis County County practice attorney adopted last year to handle deadly police force cases.
“We must ensure that justice is done, that justice is done. Daunte Wright deserves it. His family deserves it, ”said Elliott.
But police and protesters clashed once again after Tuesday night, with hundreds of protesters gathering again at the Brooklyn Center’s heavily guarded police headquarters, now surrounded by concrete barriers and a fence. high metal, and where police with riot gear and National Guard soldiers were guarded.
About 90 minutes before the curfew at 10 p.m., state police announced through a loudspeaker that the rally had been declared illegal and ordered the dispersal of the crowds. This quickly sparked clashes, with protesters throwing fireworks at the station and hurling objects at police, who threw flashbangs and gas grenades, and then marched in a line to force the crowd.
“You are ordered to disperse,” authorities announced, warning that anyone who did not leave would be arrested. State police said the dispersal order came before the curfew because protesters were trying to tear down fences and throw stones at police. The number of protesters fell rapidly over the next hour, until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media outlets to leave the scene.
Gannon has said he believed Potter grabbed his gun by mistake when he went to get his Taser. But protesters and members of Wright’s family say the shooting shows how the judicial system is leaning against black people, noting that Wright was arrested for an expired car record and ended up dead.
The Brooklyn Center, a suburb north of Minneapolis, has seen its racial demographics change dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70% of the city was white. Today, most residents are black, Asian, or Hispanic.
Elliott said he had no information about the racial diversity of the police department, but that “we have very few people of color in our department.”
After stopping Wright for expired license plates, police attempted to arrest him with a pending order. The order was that he not appear in court accused of fleeing officers and that he possessed a weapon without permission during a meeting with Minneapolis police in June.
Camera footage released Monday shows Wright fighting police when Potter shouts, “Tase you! I’m going to taste you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” He pulls out his gun after the man is released from the police and get back in the car.
After firing a single shot from his pistol, the car accelerates and Potter says, “Holy (expletive)! I shot him. “
Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the medical examiner.
The protests began within hours.
In his one-paragraph resignation letter, Potter said, “I have loved every minute to be a police officer and to serve this community to the best of my ability, but I think it is in the best interest of the community, of the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately ”.
Wright’s father, Aubrey Wright, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he rejects the explanation that Potter confused his weapon with his Taser.
“I lost my son. He will never return. I can’t accept it. An error? That doesn’t even sound good. This officer has been in force for 26 years. I can’t accept that, ”he said.
Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Wright family, spoke in Minneapolis court, where police officer Derek Chauvin’s court was tried for Floyd’s death.. Crump compared Wright’s death to that of Floyd, who was arrested by police when they tried to arrest him for allegedly passing a $ 20 counterfeit to the neighborhood market last May.
Daunte Wright “was not a threat to them,” Crump said. “Was it the best decision? No, but young people don’t always make the best decisions. As his mother said, he was afraid.
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Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Tim Sullivan at the Brooklyn Center contributed to this report.
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Mohamed Ibrahim is a member of the body of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit services program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on covert issues.
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Find full AP coverage of Daunte Wright’s death at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright