Dec. 10 (UPI) — A former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer testified Friday that he was partly in Daunte Wright’s vehicle when fellow officer Kim Potter shot and killed the man during a traffic stop.
Potter faces one count each of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter for shooting Wright to death. She was an officer in the Brooklyn Center Police Department on April 11 when she pulled Wright over for an expired registration on his vehicle and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.
She then attempted to arrest Wright on an outstanding firearms warrant, at which point he attempted to re-enter his vehicle and she shot him to death.
Former Sgt. Mychal Johnson, who now is a major with the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office, served as Potter’s supervisor on a near-daily basis at the time of the shooting in April, KMSP-TV in Minneapolis, Minn., reported.
Johnson told the court that he responded to fellow officer Anthony Luckey’s call for backup during the traffic stop. Potter was serving as Luckey’s field training officer that day.
Johnson said Luckey attempted to arrest Wright — who was standing outside his vehicle — for a warrant involving firearms. Johnson, meanwhile, partially entered the car from the passenger door to make sure the vehicle was turned off or out of gear so it wouldn’t move.
He said he heard Luckey tell Wright not to move, at which point the latter got back into his vehicle. Johnson said he grabbed Wright’s arm with both hands and heard Potter yell out.
“I heard ‘Taser, Taser, Taser,'” Johnson said, “and I heard a loud pop. I thought it was a Taser.”
Potter told authorities she believed she had grabbed her Taser to subdue Wright, but instead was holding her gun and shot him.
Jurors saw footage from Johnson’s body-worn camera during the incident. It showed Potter screaming and lying on the ground after shooting Wright.
“I shot him, oh my God!” she’s heard screaming, telling Johnson she knows she was going to go to prison.
“Kim, that guy was trying to take off with me in the car,” Johnson can be heard telling Potter.
Johnson told the court he believed that if Potter hadn’t shot Wright, he would have driven off with Johnson still partially in car, potentially injuring or even killing him. He told the prosecutors that the car wasn’t moving when Potter shot Wright.
Johnson said he took Potter’s firearm from her because he knew it would be a key piece of evidence. To make her feel secure, he put his own gun in her holster.
He said another officer who responded to the scene expressed concern that Potter might hurt herself, so Johnson unloaded his gun and gave it back to Potter.
Judge Regina Chu ended Friday’s proceedings early due to inclement weather in the region, KARE-TV in Minneapolis reported.
