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A28 u.s. news
Diasabra 11 December 2021

Sergeant was holding Daunte Wright’s arm before shooting

putting the car in drive and to who had a restraining order what to do.”
handcuff him. Johnson said against Wright.
that at the time, he couldn’t Albrecht-Payton also apolo-
see the other officer, An- Johnson also agreed with gized to Wright’s mother,
thony Luckey, and he didn’t Gray that Potter had a right Katie Bryant, who had called
know what Potter was doing. to use force because he might his phone trying to reestab-
have been injured or killed if lish contact after a call with
Body camera footage shows Wright had driven away. him was cut off right before
that as Potter yells “Taser, he was shot. Bryant testified
Taser, Taser!,” Johnson is us- Upon further questioning, tearfully a day earlier that she
ing both of his hands to hold prosecutor Matthew Frank first saw her son’s apparently
Wright’s hand and arm. noted that Johnson didn’t lifeless body via that video
draw his gun or Taser and call.
Johnson testified that he that he stood up as the car
heard the Taser command drove away instead of being “I pointed the camera on
followed by a “loud pop,” dragged. Frank also noted him,” Albrecht-Payton said.
which he initially thought that the car didn’t move until “And I’m so sorry I did that.”
was a Taser. It is difficult to after Potter shot Wright.
tell from the video whether Dashcam video played
Johnson is still reaching into After Gray had earlier got- Thursday from a police car
the car when the shot is fired. ten Johnson to acknowledge that captured the collision
that Potter had been marked showed another officer, Alan
Jurors also saw the most as “exceeds expectations” Salvosa, calling for aid as he
extensive video yet of Pot- in evaluations, Frank struck drew his weapon and re-
ter’s reaction right after the back by asking Johnson: peatedly ordered “Put your
shooting, with Johnson’s “Does it exceed expecta- hands up!” to the occupants
body camera recording her tions to draw a gun and shoot of Wright’s car. The passen-
walking to a fence with her somebody to death instead ger — Albrecht-Payton — is
hands to her face, saying, “I of their Taser?” The judge heard saying “I can’t.”
don’t know what happened.” sustained an objection to the
Johnson takes her gun, for question. Salvosa testified that he
evidence, and puts his own in couldn’t see into the rear of
her holster. Later, after anoth- Body-camera video showed the car. As Salvosa waited
er officer expresses fear she Wright pulling away from for backup and ambulances,
might harm herself, Johnson officers and getting back in about 8 1/2 minutes passed
(AP) — A police sergeant her hands. retrieves his gun, empties it his car as they tried to arrest from the moment of the crash
who was at the scene of bullets out of Potter’s view, him on the outstanding war- before officers moved in to
when Daunte Wright was “Kim, take a breath. Kim, and gives it back to her. rant. After he was shot, the begin trying to help Wright.
shot testified Friday that you’re OK,” he tells Potter. car drove down the street and Testimony and body-camera
he was holding Wright’s He also says: “Kim, that guy As portions of Johnson’s body crashed into another vehicle. footage showed that officers
right arm with both hands was trying to take off with me camera video were shown in weren’t sure what they were
to prevent the 20-year-old in the car.” court, Potter put her head in On Thursday, Wright’s pas- dealing with and took time to
from driving away when her hands at the defense ta- senger and girlfriend, Alayna approach the car safely.
he heard Officer Kim Pot- Potter, 49, is charged with ble, shook slightly and cried. Albrecht-Payton, testified
ter yell “Taser, Taser, Tas- first- and second-degree Wright’s mother, Katie Bry- that Wright “was just gasp- The case is being heard by a
er!” followed by a pop. manslaughter in the April 11 ant, also cried quietly. ing” after he was shot and de- mostly white jury.
shooting of Wright, who was scribed her panic.
Mychal Johnson, who was a pulled over for having ex- Under questioning by de- First-degree manslaughter
patrol sergeant in the Min- pired license plate tags and an fense attorney Earl Gray, “I grabbed, like, whatever was requires prosecutors to prove
neapolis suburb of Brooklyn air freshener hanging from Johnson said officers were in the car. I don’t remember Potter acted recklessly. Sec-
Center at the time of Wright’s his rearview mirror. acting properly by trying to if it was a sweater or a towel ond-degree requires them to
killing, took the stand at Pot- arrest Wright after they dis- or a blanket or something … prove culpable negligence.
ter’s manslaughter trial. Pot- Potter is white. Wright, 20, covered there was a warrant and put it on his chest like, Neither charge requires
ter, who resigned two days was Black. The shooting for his arrest on a gross mis- like you know, you see in proof that she intended to
after the shooting, says she set off days of protests and demeanor weapons posses- movies and TV shows,” said kill. State sentencing guide-
mistakenly fired her gun in- clashes with law enforce- sion charge and to ensure Albrecht-Payton, who said lines call for just over seven
stead of her Taser when she ment in Brooklyn Center that the woman in the car she began her relationship years in prison on the first
killed Wright as he tried to just as former Minneapolis — Wright’s girlfriend — was with Wright just weeks be- charge and four years on the
drive away from a traffic stop. police officer Derek Chauvin wasn’t a different woman fore he died. “I didn’t know other.
was standing trial nearby in
Prosecutors say Potter was a George Floyd’s death.
veteran Brooklyn Center of-
ficer who violated her train- Johnson, now a major in
ing. Defense attorneys say the Goodhue County Sher-
Potter made a mistake but iff’s Office, testified that he
would have been justified in opened Wright’s passenger-
shooting Wright if she had side door after Wright started
consciously chosen to be- to pull away from another of-
cause other officers, includ- ficer, and that he leaned into
ing Johnson, might have the car, pushed the shift knob
been dragged if Wright drove forward to make sure it was
away. in park and reached for the
keys to try to turn off the ve-
Video played in court Fri- hicle.
day shows Johnson trying to
comfort Potter as she cries He said he then grabbed
and rocks back and forth on Wright’s right arm with both
the ground with her head in hands to prevent him from