Kim Potter trial: Body cam shows officer yell ‘I grabbed the wrong f****** gun’ after shooting
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Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, 49, appeared in court on Wednesday as opening arguments began in her trial for the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was killed during a traffic stop in April in the city of Brooklyn Center.
At the crux of the prosecution’s opening was the assertion that Ms Potter “betrayed her badge” and displayed recklessness and negligence when she shot Wright after drawing her gun instead of a taser. The court was shown photos of the jacket Wright was wearing, which was covered in blood.
In its opening, the defence sought to cast blame on Wright, suggesting that he wouldn’t have been shot if he’d listened to Ms Potter’s demands. Attorney Paul Engh asserted that Ms Potter went to tase Wright because “he was going to kill her partner”.
As for her pulling the gun instead of the taser, Mr Engh said: “She made a mistake. This is an accident. She is a human being.”
Wright’s mother, Katie Bryant, took the stand for the defence and broke down in tears as she described her last phone call with her son.
A jury of 14, a majority of whom are white, will hear the case and consider charges of first degree and second degree manslaughter.
Defence suggests Potter will testify
Ms Potter’s attorney Paul Engh suggested that she will take the stand to testify in her own defence during his opening statement on Wednesday.
The defence will also call former Brooklyn Center police chief Timothy Gannon, who will testify about how Ms Potter’s actions were consistent with the department’s training.
Mr Engh said that Mr Gannon and other officers will fill in some of the details from the shooting and its aftermath that Ms Potter lost due to the trauma of the ordeal.
Wright’s mother takes the stand
Daunte Wright’s mother, Katie Bryant, is on the stand as the first witness for the prosecution.
On the day he was shot, Wright’s mother had given him money to get his car washed. He was stopped by police on the way.
The mother has said Wright called her as he was being pulled over and that she heard scuffling before the call ended. When she called back, she said, Wright’s girlfriend told her that he had been shot by police.
Wright’s mother breaks down in tears as court is shown photo of him and his son
Katie Bryant broke down on the stand when asked to describe photos of her son.
The first photo showed Wright with his son on his first birthday:
Mother tearfully describes last phone call with Wright
Katie Bryant tearfully described her last conversation with Wright, who had called her to say that he was pulled over by police.
She recalled assuring him that he would be okay and that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
After the line disconnected, Ms Bryant said she called back five or six times until a woman answered and told her that Wright had been shot.
Bodycam footage shows mother inconsolable at scene of shooting
During Katie Bryant’s testimony the court was shown body camera footage of her speaking to police in the moments after the shooting.
Ms Bryant appeared inconsolable as she shared disbelief at officers’ claims that Wright had led them on a high-speed chase.
Reacting to the video on the stand, Ms Bryant said she was “terrified” and praying that her son wasn’t the person killed.
Officer involved in Wright confrontation testifies
The prosecution’s second witness is Brooklyn Center Police Officer Anthony Luckey, who attempted to handcuff Wright prior to the shooting.
Mr Luckey was a trainee shadowing Ms Potter that day. He was the one who first approached Wright to tell him he was being stopped because of the air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.
He testified about the Brooklyn Center Police Department’s policy for tasers, which states that they should be worn on the opposite side of the gun to avoid confusing the two weapons.
Officer recounts moments leading up to traffic stop
Recounting the moments leading up to the traffic stop, Officer Anthony Luckey said Wright’s car first drew his attention because it was in the left turn lane with the right turn signal briefly activated.
He said he looked up the car’s registration while following behind it, learning that the tags were expired.
Mr Luckey said he then noticed the air freshener on the rearview mirror, which he noted was a violation of the law.
He agreed that it is a common violation, and agreed with prosecutor Matthew Frank’s assertion that “most people” wouldn’t know about it.
Wright’s bloodstained ‘Heartbreaker’ jacket revealed
Prosecutor Erin Eldridge concluded her opening statement by showing the court a photo of the bloodstained “Heartbreaker” jacked Wright was wearing on the day he was killed.
“On April 11 the defendant shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old who had an air-freshener hanging from his rear view mirror, a kid in a Heartbreaker jean jacket,” she said.
“But on April 11 Daunte Wright was not the heartbreaker. It was Daunte Wright who had his heart broken and it was the defendant who broke Daunte Wright’s heart when she fired a hollow point bullet straight into his chest.”
Body camera footage shows calm early moments prior to Kim Potter shooting Daunte Wright
The jury is now watching body camera footage from Brooklyn Center police officer Anthony Luckey, who pulled Daunte Wright over prior to former officer Kim Potter shooting the 20-year-old.
The interaction initially appears calm in the footage, with the officer taking down the young man’s name and date of birth, as he asks about his license and insurance status.
‘I grabbed the wrong f******* gun’: Video shows chaotic moments after shooting
Police body camera footage played during the trial has revealed the chaotic moments immediately after former Brooklyn Center police officer fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright.
“I grabbed the wrong f******* gun!” Ms Potter says in the clip, before collapsing in tears on the ground.
She can be heard saying what seems to be, “I’m going to go to prison.”
Officer Anthony Luckey, who was also on the scene, tries to comfort her, saying, “No you’re not.”
Another officer adds, “Kim, that guy was trying to take off with me in the car.”
