Authorities have identified the female officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a weekend traffic stop near Minneapolis, sparking protests and unrest.
Kim Potter has been with the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said in an emailed statement.
The BCA said she’s on standard administrative leave, but would not disclose any further details, citing the active investigation into Wright’s death.
Wright, a 20-year-old Black man was shot and killed during a traffic stop just before 2 p.m. Sunday in Brooklyn Center, after officer Potter said she mistook her taser for a gun and fired at him. He died about 10 miles from where George Floyd, another black man was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year.
The Hennepin County medical examiner said Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest, ruling his death as a homicide.
Following the news of his death, hundreds of people gathered to protest, and after a night of unrest, including looting, the National Guard was called in and a curfew was declared.
President Biden has called for any protests against Wright’s shooting to remain “peaceful.”
“There is absolutely no justification, none, for looting, no justification for violence. Peaceful protests, understandable, and the fact is that, you know, we do know that the anger, pain, and trauma that exists in the Black community in that environment is real, it’s serious and it’s consequential. But it will not justify violence and/or looting,” he said.
“And we should listen to Daunte’s mom, who is calling for peace and calm,” he said.
