In this image taken from video, former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter testifies during her trial, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, in Minneapolis. (Court TV via AP, Pool)
SRDTF News
UPDATED 2:56 PM PT – Friday, December 17, 2021
The defense rests in the trial of ex-Minnesota police officer Kim Potter as she recounts moments leading up to the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.
Potter became emotional while testifying in her own defense on Friday, saying it “just went chaotic” during the April 11 encounter with Wright. Potter, along with other officers, pulled the 20-year-old over for a traffic stop where a struggle ensued outside of the vehicle and Wright attempted to get back inside of his car.
While reaching for her taser, the former officer said she mistakenly grabbed her gun killing Wright. She now faces manslaughter charges.
“We were struggling. We were trying to keep him from driving away. It just went chaotic,” Potter testified. “And then I remember yelling ‘taser, taser, taser,’ and nothing happened. And then he told me I shot him.”
Potter said she’s never deployed her taser throughout her 26-year career on the force, but confirmed it has been drawn. After testifying for about two hours, Potter stepped down from the witness stand. Meanwhile, the trial is set to resume on Monday.
Flowers, candles and placards are seen at a makeshift memorial in honor of Daunte Wright, who was shot dead by a police officer in Minneapolis, in Washington Square, New York on April 17, 2021. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)