Large parts of the nation are once again traumatized by the images of an unarmed Black man losing his life at the hands of a police officer. This time, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was killed during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11.
48-year-old Officer Kimberly Ann Potter is seen in body camera footage shooting Wright with her firearm as he apparently attempted to flee the scene in his vehicle. The father of a two-year-old son was originally pulled over for an expired registration tag, but the cops on the scene got word that he had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant.
Brooklyn Center police chief Tim Gannon claimed Potter accidentally shot Wright by mistakingly discharging her Glock 9mm handgun instead of her yellow Taser. However, Gannon also admitted that officers in his department are trained to keep their guns on their dominant-hand side and their Tasers on their weak-hand side to avoid confusion.
Following days of peaceful and violent incidents, both Potter and Gannon resigned from their positions. Yesterday (April 14), Kimberly Potter was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter. She was reportedly remanded to the Hennepin County Jail.
There have been plenty of reactions to the news that Potter will be prosecuted for killing Daunte Wright. Some people believe second-degree manslaughter was appropriate in this case. Others felt the 26-year veteran of the force should have been charged with murder.
For example, Louisiana-bred rapper Boosie Badazz seemingly fell into the latter group. The always outspoken “Wipe Me Down” performer tweeted, “2nd-degree manslaughter WTF IF FOUNDHOOKOOKOOHOUIBBBBIBOBOOO N OOOOYU B#### HBITCH B#### U.”
The Wright family’s attorneys – Benjamin Crump, Jeff Storms, and Anthony Romanucci – said in a statement, “While we appreciate that the district attorney is pursuing justice for Daunte, no conviction can give the Wright family their loved one back. This was no accident. This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force.”
2nd degree manslaughter WTF IF FOUNDHOOKOOKOOHOUIBBBBIBOBOOO N OOOOYU B#### HBITCH B#### U
— Boosie BadAzz (@BOOSIEOFFICIAL) April 14, 2021