Daunte wright
Brooklyn Center, MN - April 2021
As the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with murder in the killing of George Floyd, was still ongoing in Minneapolis, MN, Daunte Wright drove his car through the nearby suburb of Brooklyn Center, MN. The 20-year-old Black man was pulled over for driving with expired tags and confronted by members of the Brooklyn Center Police Department. Kim Potter, a 26 year veteran officer, tried to restrain Wright, as she yelled “Taser! Taser! Taser!” she grabbed her handgun and shot Wright in the chest, killing him.
In the immediate aftermath aftermath members of Wright’s family, community, and local activists gathered at the site where he was killed. They were confronted by a line of police blockading the streets surrounding the neighborhood. As night fell people migrated to the nearby Brooklyn Center Police headquarters, which became the site of an ongoing protest for several days as demonstrators and police clashed.
Officer Potter was fired from the Brooklyn Center Police Department and eventually charged with two counts of manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright. Wright’s family held a memorial service for him two days after Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd.
As the year came to a close the city of Minneapolis steeled itself for another trial. After deliberating for 27 hours the jury reached a verdict. Kim Potter was found guilty on both counts leveled against her, members of Wright’s family were celebrated outside the courthouse.
