Police Officer Who Murdered Daunte Wright Has Resigned

The police officer who murdered 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, has now resigned.

Kim Potter fatally shot Wright in the chest during a Sunday afternoon traffic stop. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliot announced her resignation on Tuesday.

In her resignation letter, Potter wrote, “I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.”

The 26-year police veteran claims that she meant to grab her taser when she accidentally grabbed her gun and shot the young man. In the bodycam footage, she can be heard yelling “taser” before seemingly realizing that she hit the 20-year-old.

Elliot said that the city did not ask for Potter to resign. Officials were made aware of Potter’s resignation shortly before to just before 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. The mayor says that he hopes Potter’s exiting the force will “bring some calm” to the city that has experienced massive protests since Wright’s death.

The mayor announced that Police Chief Tim Gannon would also be resigning following Wright’s murder. However, he declined to give Gannon’s reason for leaving.

Wright’s murder occurred nearly 14 miles north of where George Floyd was murdered last year by police officer Derek Chauvin.