Kim Potter: Five Things About The Officer Who Shot Daunte Wright

BROOKLYN CENTER, MN — A 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department was identified Monday as the officer who fatally shot a 20-year-old Black man during a traffic stop Sunday near Minneapolis.

Kim Potter, a 48-year-old white woman, was identified by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as the officer seen in body-camera footage who yelled “Taser” before shooting and killing Daunte Wright.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said on Monday Potter believed she was firing her Taser based on the body camera footage and the shooting was “an accidental discharge” of her gun. She didn’t intend for Wright to be shot.

Wright was reportedly pulled over for driving a vehicle with expired plates and for violating a Minnesota law that prohibits motorists from hanging items such as air fresheners from their rearview mirror, according to NBC News. Wright also had an outstanding "gross misdemeanor warrant" for his arrest, according to Gannon.

Police have not provided additional details on the warrant, according to Newsweek.

His death adds additional tension to an area already on edge as the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd is being held only miles away from where the shooting occurred.

See Also:

• Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter Resigns
• Twin Cities County Curfews Will Not Be Extended Tuesday
• Daunte Wright Was A 'Wonderful Father': Brother
• Photos: Day 2 Of Protests Over Brooklyn Center Police Shooting
• 'He Was Our Angel': Family Of Daunte Wright On Police Shooting

Potter resigned from the department Tuesday as authorities continue to investigate the shooting. Here are five things to know about the former officer and the shooting.

1. Questions have been raised about the 26-year police veteran for confusing a gun for a Taser.

Although Gannon said the shooting was "an accidental discharge," he said during a news conference Monday that officers with the department were trained to carry their handguns on their dominant side, with the Taser being holstered on the opposite side of the body.

“If you're right-handed, you carry your firearm on your right side and you carry your Taser on the left. This is done purposefully, and it's trained," he said.

A day after his remarks, Gannon announced he was resigning.

Ben Crump, an attorney who represents Wright’s family as well as that of George Floyd, questioned on Twitter how Potter’s mix-up was possible considering her years of experience. He claimed that she “knew exactly what she was doing” and her “actions were clearly intentional.”

2. Her entire career has been with the Brooklyn Center Police Department

Potter became a licensed police officer in Minnesota in 1995 at the age of 22 and joined the department the same year, according to The Star Tribune. She served on the agency’s negotiation team and, at the time of the shooting, was working as a field training officer.

The Washington Post reports that in 2019, Potter was elected as president of the Brooklyn Center Police Officers’ Association. She was also a member of the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association, where she was on the group’s “casket team” serving as pallbearers for fallen officers.

“I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately,” Potter’s resignation letter read.

3. She previously provided instructions to officers after a fatal shooting.

Brooklyn Center officers fatally shot Kobe Dimock-Heisler six times in 2019 after he reportedly lunged at police who were responding to a domestic disturbance at his home, reports Newsweek. Potter was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene after the shooting.

She advised the officers who fired their weapons to “exit [Dimock-Heisler’s] residence, get into separate squad cars, turn off their body-worn cameras and not to talk to each other,” according to a 2020 report from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

No charges were filed in the case, and a review of Potter’s action found it was consistent with Minnesota law, Newsweek reports.

4. Potter shot Wright as he tried to leave in his vehicle.

Authorities released Potter’s body camera footage of the shooting on Monday showing another officer attempting to place Wright in handcuffs during the traffic stop. A struggle ensues as Wright attempts to go back into his vehicle, Potter warns him that “I’ll Tase you” and pulls out her gun. Potter shoots into the vehicle, yelling “Taser! Taser! Taser!” As Wright drives away, Potter tells the other officers, “holy s---, I just shot him.” Wright collided into another vehicle several blocks away.

5. She does not live in Brooklyn Center.

Potter isn’t local to Brooklyn Center and lives in a different suburb of Minneapolis with her husband, a former Fridley police officer, The Star Tribune reports.

In fact, all 49 Brooklyn Center police officers do not live in the area, according to Mayor Mike Elliott. He could not say what the racial demographic was of the department.

Roughly 38.3 percent of the city’s population is white, according to a 2019 estimate from the U.S. Census. Around 29 percent of residents are Black, 16.3 percent are Asian and 13.5 percent are Latino or Hispanic.