On April 11, 2021, Daunte Demetrius Wright, a 20-year-old Black American man, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The incident occurred around 2:00 p.m. CST when Wright was pulled over by police officers for an outstanding warrant. During the attempted arrest, a struggle ensued, and Officer Kimberly Ann Potter, a 26-year veteran of the police force, mistakenly drew her service pistol instead of her Taser.
She fired a single shot, hitting Wright in the chest at close range. Wright managed to drive a short distance before his vehicle collided with another car and struck a concrete barrier. Despite efforts to administer CPR, Wright was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kimberly Potter, the officer involved, was 48 years old at the time of the incident. She immediately resigned from her position two days after the shooting, along with the Brooklyn Center police chief, Tim Gannon. Potter was subsequently charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. During her trial in Hennepin County, she was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to two years in prison. She served 16 months of her sentence before being paroled.
The shooting of Daunte Wright sparked widespread protests and demonstrations in Brooklyn Center and across the United States, renewing calls for police reform and accountability. Wright's family settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the City of Brooklyn Center for $3.25 million. Additionally, the passenger in Wright's car, Alayna Albrecht-Payton, who was injured in the collision, settled a civil suit with the city for $350,000. Public outrage over Wright's death contributed to discussions on police reform measures, leading to changes in Taser procedures and other policing policies in Minnesota and beyond.
