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Police Officer Kim Potter resigned on April 15, 2021, after shooting and killing Duante Wright, a 20-year-old black man, on April 13. Wright was supposedly pulled over for an expired license license-plate tags. After running his background, they found that he had a warrant for his arrest. During the attempted arrest, Wright resisted.
The officer served 26 years with the Brooklyn Center Police Department and was a Union Representative, says she intended to pull her stun gun but pulled her handgun by mistake. This action started unfavorable rumors about Potter’s actions during her time with BCPD.
Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump, representing Wright’s family, declared unfair use of power on social media to discredit Potter’s claim of the shooting being a mistake. Crump questioned whether the 26-year veteran knew the difference between a taser and a handgun and discussed prior controversial activity.
Crump also discussed the rumor that Potter instructed officers in the shooting death of Kobe Dimock-Heisler, to “turn off their body-worn cameras, and to not talk to each other,” which was found to be a fact.
The Glock that Potter fired was heavy black metal, whereas the Taser was neon-colored plastic.
Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired 29-year veteran of the Naperville Police Department in Illinois and spokesperson for the National Police Association, stated that a Glock is very lightweight, but a Taser is heavier than you think.
Dennis Kenney, a John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor and a former Florida police officer, says holding a Glock and Taser “feels different.”
Police Chief Tim Gannon supported Potter’s statement but later resigned from the force.
Written by Brenda Robinson
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Snopes: Is This Post About Kim Potter, Ex-Cop Who Shot Daunte Wright, True? Jessica Lee
NBC News: How a Veteran Officer Could Have Mistaken A Glock For A Taser In The Fatal Shooting Of Daunte Wright; Corky Siemaszko
Featured andTop Image Courtesy of Lorie Shaull’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of J.B.F.’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License