Jurors at Potter trial see differences between gun, Taser

MINNEAPOLIS – Prosecutors successful the manslaughter proceedings of a Minnesota constabulary serviceman charged successful the shooting decease of Daunte Wright walked jurors done the differences betwixt her handgun and her Taser connected Monday, seeking to rise questions astir however an experienced serviceman could confuse the two.

Wright, 20, was killed connected April 11 aft being pulled implicit successful the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center for having expired licence sheet tags and an aerial freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. Kim Potter, 49, is charged with manslaughter.

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Potter, a 26-year constabulary seasoned who resigned 2 days later, has said she meant to usage her Taser to halt Wright aft helium pulled distant and got backmost successful his car arsenic officers tried to apprehension him connected a warrant for a weapons charge. Potter is achromatic and Wright was Black. His death, which came portion Derek Chauvin was connected proceedings successful adjacent Minneapolis successful George Floyd's death, acceptable disconnected respective nights of aggravated protests successful Brooklyn Center.

The defence has called the shooting a horrific mistake, but has besides asserted that Potter would person been wrong her rights to usage deadly unit connected Wright due to the fact that helium mightiness person dragged different officer, then-Sgt. Mychal Johnson, with his car.

Sam McGinnis, a elder peculiar cause with the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, highlighted however Potter's work loop had holsters that necessitate an serviceman to instrumentality deliberate actions to merchandise the weapons. The weapon holster has a snap, portion the Taser holster has a lever. The handgun, which is black, is besides doubly arsenic dense arsenic the yellowish Taser, McGinnis said.

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The Taser and weapon person antithetic triggers, grips and information mechanisms, McGinnis testified. The Taser besides has a laser and LED lights that show earlier it is fired, which helium demonstrated for the jury, portion the handgun does not, helium said.

McGinnis besides testified that Potter didn’t execute a relation trial connected her Taser astatine the commencement of her shift. Although the Brooklyn Center Police Department’s argumentation is that officers are expected to bash that, McGinnis acknowledged nether cross-examination that helium didn’t cheque to spot however wide the department’s officers complied.

Prosecutors asked to person the jurors grip a Taser, but Judge Regina Chu didn't let it aft Potter's attorneys objected. Chu said jurors tin bash truthful during deliberations if they want.

Earlier Monday, Dr. Lorren Jackson, an adjunct Hennepin County aesculapian examiner, testified that Potter's slug caused injuries to Wright's bosom and lungs and those caused his death. He said 1 tin past specified injuries for lone “seconds to minutes.”

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After Wright was shot, his car drove distant and collided seconds aboriginal with an oncoming car. Any injuries from the clang were insignificant successful presumption of what caused Wright's death, Jackson said.

Some officers testified past week that they weren't capable to instantly attack Wright's car aft it crashed due to the fact that they weren't definite it was harmless to bash so. Prosecutors criticized Potter for not instantly radioing successful what happened astatine the postulation stop.

Jackson testified that Wright had immoderate cannabinoids, oregon THC and its metabolites, successful his humor from smoking marijuana, but that they didn't origin successful his origin of death. He said the level of THC metabolites successful Wright’s humor was “on the precocious end” of numbers helium sees, but was inactive wrong a mean scope for radical who usage marijuana.

Jurors were shown graphic images of Wright’s assemblage astatine the scene, arsenic the adjunct aesculapian examiner recovered the assemblage connected the ground, with immoderate aesculapian instrumentality inactive attached from lifesaving efforts, and immoderate dried humor from the gunshot wound.

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They besides saw autopsy photos, which Chu constricted aft Potter's attorneys objected earlier successful the trial. Wright’s mother, who has been contiguous for overmuch of the testimony, was not successful tribunal arsenic the autopsy photos were shown.

The authorities is expected to remainder its lawsuit midweek.

Separately, prosecutors filed 2 motions Monday, including 1 designed to bounds the sentiment of witnesses who are not testifying arsenic experts. That came aft Johnson past week testified that Potter’s actions were authorized nether authorities law. Johnson was not testifying arsenic an adept connected the constabulary usage of force.

Prosecutors besides asked Chu for support to question constabulary officers astir national membership. They wrote that Potter had roles successful the union, including arsenic president, that gave her an elevated level of respect among her coworkers. They privation to inquire officers astir it truthful jurors tin measure immoderate imaginable bias toward Potter.

The lawsuit is being heard by a mostly achromatic jury.

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State sentencing guidelines telephone for conscionable implicit 7 years successful situation upon condemnation of first-degree manslaughter and 4 years for second-degree, though prosecutors person said they program to propulsion for longer sentences.

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Associated Press writers Mohamed Ibrahim successful Minneapolis and Scott Bauer successful Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

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Find the AP’s afloat sum of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright

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