The trial of a white former police officer accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who was Black, began Wednesday and continued this week with testimony Monday from the local medical examiner. Lorren Jackson, of Hennepin County, testified to what he witnessed when he first got to the scene where veteran Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter had shot and killed Wright.

Wright had been pulled over for expired license plate tags and an air freshener that blocked a portion of his rearview window on April 11. Potter, who has announced she plans to testify, has claimed she was reaching for her Taser when she accidentally grabbed her gun instead, killing Wright. She was charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.

Photos of Wright’s body won’t be shown during livestreams of the trial, at the request of Wright’s family, but Jackson described wounds and abrasions to Wright’s body as well as debris from two damaged vehicles on the scene. Jackson testified that Wright lost three liters of blood, which is significant because a person his size would only have about 4.5-5.5 liters of blood in his entire body, “and when you lose half of that rapidly your position becomes critical.”

Updates will be added as the trial continues. Jump below the fold for more information on the trial to date.

Monday, Dec 13, 2021 · 8:43:32 PM +00:00 · Lauren Floyd

The jury heard testimony from an agent and a forensic scientist with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension before hearing testimony from Senior Special Agent Sam McGinnis about the Taser Potter claimed to be reaching for. He explained that once the Taser is in its holster it can’t be taken out again until the officer pushes a lever to release it.

McGinnis testified that Potter conducted function tests on her Taser on six of 10 of her shifts and that the tests were supposed to be performed before each shift.

Then, he was asked about differences in weight and other factors between the gun Potter used and the Taser. McGinnis testified that the gun weighed approximately 2.11 pounds and the Taser weighed about 0.94 pounds. “The Taser is yellow. The firearm is black,” McGinnis said. He added:

Jackson testified that, when he arrived on the scene, he was looking for clues like soot on the body to point to the range of fire used in the shooting. He said he ultimately found no such clues, leading to an indeterminate range of fire.

In Potter’s trial, her former supervisor Sgt. Mychal Johnson testified on Friday that Potter was justified in her use of deadly force. He said in testimony CNN covered that he arrived on the scene after officer trainee Anthony Luckey had stopped Wright and learned he had an active warrant. Officers were trying to arrest Wright when Johnson saw Luckey in a struggle with the Wright, the sergeant testified. Johnson said he opened Wright’s passenger door in an attempt to prevent Wright from driving off and held his arm, thinking Luckey or Potter would cuff Wright’s other arm.

Instead, Johnson heard someone say, “Taser, Taser,” and dropped Wright’s arm to avoid the Taser’s probes, the sergeant testified. Only Potter never used her Taser. Wright started to drive off, and Johnson got out of the car’s path, he testified.

Video from Luckey’s dash camera and Johnson’s body camera were combined and shown to the jury. In one part of the footage, jurors could hear the crash of Wright’s car after he was shot.

“So basically, based on these videos and the conduct of Daunte Wright, as far as you’re concerned— and you were there—Kimberly Potter would have had a right to use a firearm, right?” Earl Gray, one of Potter’s attorneys, asked.

“Yes,” Johnson responded.

Gray also asked Johnson what would have happened if Wright had driven off with the sergeant still in the car. Johnson agreed that he would probably be dragged, seriously injured, or dead. “And if that were the case, when an officer in your position with Officer Potter trying to stop him from resisting with you and resisting Luckey, would it be fair for that officer to use a firearm to stop him?” Gray asked. Johnson responded: “By state statute, yes.”

YouTube Video

Wright’s death occurred in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, about 10 miles north of the Hennepin County Courthouse where ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd. Chauvin kneeled on the Black father’s neck for more than nine minutes, ignoring pleas for him to stop from witnesses and Floyd himself.

Journalist Tony Webster tweeted on Monday that the issue of whether Potter’s deadly force was legal could be a problem for the prosecution. Webster said in a Twitter thread: “Another officer testified that before Potter fired Daunte Wright was trying to drive away while he was halfway in car, risking his life.”

Webster added: “The State narrowed in on the video showing that other officer at the passenger side—Sgt. Mychal Johnson—had a hand on the gear shifter and had already stopped that risk. It will be interesting to see what else develops this week, but this seems like the most key issue to date.”

Another issue of focus for social media users posting about the case is the racial makeup of the jury. Nine of 12 jurors deciding Potter’s fate are white. One is Black, and two are Asian, according to NPR. There are also two white alternates. 

Defense attorney Paul Engh has already requested a mistrial, claiming the prosecution showed too much footage from the scene, and Judge Regina Chu denied that request, CBS Minnesota reported. Prosecutors plan to pursue an aggravated sentence if Potter is convicted, and that heightened sentencing requires proof that Potter endangered others, CBS Minnesota reported.

Watch the trial live:

YouTube Video