Nathan Layne

(Reuters) – Protests against police brutality erupted after a white Minnesota officer shot and killed an unarmed Black motorist. Opening statements will be made to the jury on Wednesday.

Kimberly Potter is a former Minneapolis police officer who claimed she mistook her Taser for her handgun when shooting at Daunte Wayne Wright (20). He attempted to escape in her car after a traffic stop.

Potter, 49 years old, has pleaded no guilty to charges of first-degree and second degree manslaughter, with maximum sentences of 10 and 15 years, respectively. According to her lawyers, she is expected to testify for herself.

Legal experts say that the opening remarks of the prosecution will emphasize the Potter’s extensive training, making it criminally culpable. According to the criminal complaint, Potter is a 26-year-old veteran of police forces. She had taken two Taser-specific training classes in six months before the incident.

Joe Tamburino, an uninvolved criminal defense lawyer, said, “You need to convey that this entire thing is about accountability.” He spoke out in reference to the prosecution’s strategy. “She’s a well-trained police officer.

Potter’s lawyers, however, are likely to argue that Potter made an honest error under intense pressure and that Wright’s death was tragic but that he caused the danger by refusing arrest.

Jack Rice, a St. Paul criminal defense attorney, stated that the increased gun violence in the major U.S. metros could be helping the defense. Minneapolis is on the verge of a record number in annual homicides for 2021.

Rice explained that people wearing blue are going to be perceived as the wall protecting society. Rice stated, “The defense will use that.”

Wright, who was captured on Potter’s body-worn camera during the shooting, sparked protests that lasted several nights. Some called it another act of police violence against Black Americans. Others demanded Potter be tried for murder.

TESTIMONS

This shooting attracted attention because it took place just a few blocks north of the trial site for Derek Chauvin (a former Minneapolis police officer) in George Floyd’s case. George Floyd was a Black man who died during an arrest in May 2020, sparking nationwide protests against racial injustice.

Potter’s trial will be held in the exact same Hennepin County courtroom that convicted Chauvin in April of murder.

Prosecutors must prove that Potter caused Wright’s death while recklessly handling firearms. This is the first degree of manslaughter. Second-degree charges require that Potter is found guilty of culpable neglect in causing Wright’s death.

Experts said Wednesday that prosecutors will likely show the plan testimony of Seth Stoughton. He is a professor and use-of force expert at the University of South Carolina School of Law, who testified in support of the state during the Chauvin trial.

Paul Engh (one of Potter’s lawyers) argued that Stoughton would encourage a false narrative and the officers should have let Wright flee the scene. Engh stated that Wright created the dangerous situation, and that a Taser was needed to remove him.

Laurence Miller (a police and forensic psychologist) is expected to give evidence about brain slippage and how it can choose an unintended, but still more common, action. Potter will also be a key witness for the defense.

Potter can be heard shouting from her body camera, “I’ll kill you!” at Wright while she was trying to free herself from an officer’s grasp. Potter told Wright that she grabbed the wrong (expletive). gun after she shot her.

Mike Brandt from Minneapolis said that he anticipated Potter’s attorneys to claim the shooting resulted in a split second decision under duress. This assertion would be supported by her testimony.

Brandt stated that if she appears sympathetic and likeable, the jury might be more inclined to convict.