The former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed a Black motorist during a traffic stop earlier this week will make her first court appearance Thursday, a day after she was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter.
Kim Potter will make her first court appearance at around 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday. She was arrested yesterday and charged with manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright on Sunday.
Potter was later released from jail on Wednesday after posting bail.
Potter resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department on Tuesday, two days after she fired the fatal shot that killed Wright. Police officials say that Potter meant to discharge her Taser when Wright attempted to flee the scene, but mistakenly grabbed her firearm.
Wright’s family is also slated to speak to the media ahead of Potter’s court appearance at 1 p.m. ET.
Wednesday evening marked the fourth straight night of protests in front of the Brooklyn Center police station. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that fewer arrests occurred in connection with the unrest — 24 people were arrested Wednesday night, compared to the 40 people that were arrested on Tuesday.
While reports indicate that protests were calmer than in past nights, the Star Tribune reports that some in the crowd threw objects — including bottles, rocks and fireworks — toward police. Officers again fired less-lethal rounds like tear gas into the crowd in an attempt to disperse after a 10 p.m. local time curfew went into effect.
For the second consecutive night, there were no reports of looting or burglary in the area. Some businesses in Brooklyn Center were vandalized and looted following peaceful protests on Sunday night and Monday night.
The unrest in Brooklyn Center comes as the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin takes place about 10 miles away in the Hennepin County Courthouse. Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder as well as manslaughter in connection with the death of George Floyd in police custody in May 2020.
Bystander video from Floyd’s arrest shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd for more than eight minutes as Floyd struggles to breathe. Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide protest movement against police brutality during the summer months of 2020.
