Officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright arrested, will be charged with manslaughter

Kim Potter, the white Minnesota police officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, has reportedly been arrested and will be charged with second-degree manslaughter.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed to the The New York Times that Potter was taken into custody on Wednesday morning, and Washington County prosecutor Pete Orput told the Times the complaint will be filed later in the day.

This comes after Potter resigned on Tuesday after she fatally shot Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Tim Gannon, the Brooklyn Center Police chief who has since announced his resignation, said that Potter appeared to have had the "intention to deploy" her Taser, but "instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Police also released video of the incident, which showed Potter shouting "Taser" and saying, "Holy s---. I just shot him." Wright's killing has sparked three nights of protests around police headquarters in Brooklyn Center.

According to the Star Tribune, the charge Potter is facing carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.