Daunte Wright death: Minnesota prosecutor says officer “betrayed her badge” in killing

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A prosecutor said on Wednesday a former Minnesota police officer on trial for killing Black motorist Daunte Wright flouted years of training by mistakenly using her pistol instead of her Taser, while the defence sought to blame the slain man for resisting arrest in a routine traffic stop.

The duelling narratives were presented to jurors during opening statements in the trial of Kimberly Potter, a 26-year veteran of the police force in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center who is charged with manslaughter in the April death of Wright, 20.

"This case is about the defendant Kimberly Potter betraying her badge and betraying her oath and betraying her position of public trust," Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Erin Eldridge told the jury.

Potter, 49, has pleaded not guilty to first- and second-degree manslaughter charges, which carry maximum sentences of 15 and 10 years respectively. Her lawyers have said Potter thought she was using her Taser when she shot Wright in the chest with her Glock handgun as he tried to flee the scene in his car.

Eldridge spoke at length about the extensive training received by Potter, which included two Taser-specific courses in the six months prior to the incident. Eldridge said Potter "flouted" her training and escalated the traffic stop.

Potter, who resigned from the police department after the incident, and two other officers were attempting to detain Wright on an outstanding warrant for his arrest on a misdemeanor weapons charge. The officers pulled him over because there was an air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror and his license plate tabs were expired, then learned of the warrant.

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