Daunte Wright: what we know about Kim Potter, the agent who killed him

Police say officer killed young black man by mistake 1:55

(CNN) -

The fatal shooting of a 20-year-old black man named Daunte Wright by a white police officer outside Minneapolis has sparked protests and clashes with law enforcement.

Daunte Wright was shot dead by Officer Kim Potter during a routine traffic stop at Brooklyn Center, a Minnesota suburb of Minneapolis, according to police.

The fatal shooting and demonstrations occurred about 10 miles from the Minneapolis courtroom where former police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for the death of George Floyd last year.

Sunday's was at least the third high-profile death of a black man during a police encounter in the Minneapolis area in the past five years, following the 2016 shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights and the death of George Floyd. in Minneapolis in May of last year.

Here's what we know about Police Officer Kim Potter.

Agent Kim Potter resigned after the fatal shooting.

Former boss: Daunte Wright shooting was accidental

City Police Chief Tim Gannon, who resigned Tuesday, said part of the body camera footage released Monday makes him think the shooting was accidental and that the officer's actions earlier of the shooting were consistent with the department's training in the use of electronic guns, known in the United States as Tasers.

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Gannon said that "the officer intended to deploy her Taser, but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet."

The fatal shooting appeared to be "an accidental discharge," he said.

Kim Potter is a 26-year police veteran

Kim Potter, 48, was with the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Learning (BCA).

He joined the department in 1995, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper.

She served as the president of the police union in 2019, had been on the department's bargaining team and worked as a field training agent, the Star Tribune reported.

She was placed on administrative leave after Sunday's shooting.

The BCA said additional staff information is not public under state law during the investigation of the shooting.

A county prosecutor's report states that this is not the first time that Kim Potter has dealt with a case in which a police officer shot someone.

In 2019, local police shot dead a man who threatened his grandfather with a knife and hammer.

The use of deadly force by police in that incident was declared legal, according to the report.

In accordance with the policies of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, Potter, who was not present at the time of that shooting, instructed the two officers involved to get into different police vehicles, turn off the body cameras, and not talk to each other. they.

Potter was not charged with any crime in that case.

Protests erupt over Daunte Wright's death 1:14

Submitted a letter of resignation

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott told CNN on Tuesday that Kim Potter submitted a letter of resignation from the Brooklyn Center Police Department.

In a letter to Elliott, Acting City Manager Reggie Edwards, and then-Police Chief Gannon, Potter wrote that he "loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of his ability."

Elliott said Tuesday that Gannon had also resigned.

Commander Tony Gruenig will be acting chief, the mayor said.

Elliott said Potter decided to resign himself from the police department.

We did not ask him to resign.

That was a decision she made, "he said.

On Tuesday at an Elliott press conference, people in the room expressed concern that Potter would resign and not be fired.

The mayor said he "has not accepted his resignation" and that his office continues to review the matter.

"We are following our internal process to make sure we are being held accountable for the steps we need to take," Elliott told reporters.

Potter's attorney also represents an agent in the Floyd case.

Washington County Prosecutor Pete Orput told CNN he "hopes" to have an impeachment decision regarding Kim Potter in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by Wednesday.

Earl Gray, a St. Paul-based attorney, told CNN that he represents Potter.

Gray is also the attorney for Thomas Lane, one of four officers involved in Floyd's death facing criminal charges.

He was also a defense attorney for Jeronimo Yáñez, the former St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer, who was found not guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Castile.

On Monday night, Gray said he had no further comment on Sunday's shooting.

Minnesota Police Violence