The Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer involved in the shooting death of a 20-year-old African American man during a traffic stop Sunday has resigned, as has the police chief of the Minneapolis suburb.
A 26-year veteran of city’s police department, Kim Potter resigned in a letter Tuesday, saying, “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately." Her union announced her resignation.
In a report, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Potter fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon. The report said Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest and classified the manner of death as a homicide.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliot also announced Tuesday that Police Chief Tim Gannon would also be resigning.
Gannon in a Monday news conference said he believes Potter accidentally shot Wright when she meant to use her Taser. A Taser is a non-lethal electroshock weapon used to incapacitate an individual by an electric shock, thus allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and safe manner.
A demonstrator heckles authorities who advanced into a gas station after issuing orders for crowds to disperse during a protest against the police shooting of Daunte Wright, April 12, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
The shooting has led to two nights of protests in the city. Hundreds of people gathered late Monday outside the Brooklyn Center police station to protest the deadly shooting. Police fired tear gas canisters and flash-bang grenades to try to disperse the crowd after the start of a new overnight curfew.
There were some clashes between protesters and police as officers moved the demonstrators away from the police station.
Authorities said some among the crowd threw objects at the officers, and that about 40 people were arrested. The protests largely broke up by early Tuesday.
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting.