Former Brooklyn Park police officer Kim Potter is set to be tried this week for the murder of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop earlier this year. The murder sparked protests throughout the city almost a year after the death of George Floyd.
Attorney Mike Padden joined News Talk 830 WCCO's Cory Hepola, breaking down what to expect.
Potter pulled Wright over on April 11, and after he refused the officer's orders, Potter opened fire, fatally shooting the 20-year-old.
Potter later said she thought she was holding her taser, and in her body cam footage, you can hear her call out "taser, taser, taser." However, she had her firearm and shot Wright to death.
"It's not a simple case," Padden said. "This case is not even in the same universe as the Chauvin case. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a completely different type of case. You have a police officer who has made a mistake, admitted she made a mistake, and the question is what are the criminal consequences with that."
Related
Potter has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, something Padden says is very tough to prove, and second-degree manslaughter. Despite many calling for it, Potter was not charged with third-degree murder.
"I think the fact that she right at the scene admitted her culpability, I think that could be the theory her lawyers will take in this case, that she admitted her fault," Padden said.
Padden went on to add that some of the blame could be directed towards Wright, saying that if he hadn't acted how he did, the situation could have been avoided altogether.
"That's going to be a relevant fact that will be litigated," Padden said.
Jury selection is set to take place tomorrow, and once the selection is completed, deliberations will begin.
Related
