Dec. 14 (UPI) — A medical examiner testified Monday that the bullet shot by former police officer Kim Potter caused the death of Daunte Wright earlier this year in Minnesota, causing damage to his heart and lungs.
Hennepin County Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Lorren Jackson was the first person to testify in Potter’s manslaughter trial on Monday, KMSP-TV in Minneapolis reported.
He said that though there were “high” levels of THC from marijuana in Wright’s system, it didn’t play a role in his death.
“Far and away the gunshot wound to the chest was the most significant injury,” Jackson said.
Potter shot Wright in the chest April 11 during a traffic stop. She was an officer in the Brooklyn Center Police Department when she pulled Wright over for an expired registration on his vehicle and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.
Another officer 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. Potter said she meant to use her Taser on him, but grabbed her firearm instead.
She pleaded not guilty to one count each of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter.
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Special Agent Sam McGinnis also testified about the Taser and firearm Potter carried at the time of the shooting, KSTP-TV in Minneapolis reported. Prosecutors brought the Taser and gun into the courtroom so McGinnis could explain how they work.
He noted that the firearm weighed 2.11 pounds and the Taser weighed 0.94 pounds.
Jurors were allowed to place their hands on the two items to experience the weight and grip of each.
