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“Every day they put on their uniforms and they go to work, and they go to work on the streets of our communities… and every day they do, we entrust our lives to them,†Eldridge said.
“We expect them not to betray their badge. We expect them to keep their oath. We trust them to know the evil of right and left of right.”
Eldridge said the jury would hear about Potter being a 26-year veteran in the police force, the training she received, and why she should have known and be aware of the differences between her Taser and her weapon. She also noted that Potter had met all the requirements to be certified on his Taser on March 2, just over a month before Wright was shot.
After about 11 minutes, Eldridge had a bit of a chat about Daunte Wright, noting that he was his parents’ first child and that he had a child of his own. She noted that Wright on April 11 visited her parents’ house and was delighted to have her new car – the family car – washed. The incident at the heart of the trial happened while he was driving to the car wash.
Eldridge then moved on to Potter’s Day on April 11, noting that she was training a new officer named Officer Lucky. While on patrol, Eldridge says they saw Wright driving and stopped the vehicle for the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. After arresting Wright, they also discovered that the tabs had expired, a typical traffic stop. They also then ran Wright’s name after contacting him and found that Wright had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear for a serious weapons violation offense.
Eldridge pointed out that another Brooklyn Center officer, Sgt. Johnson then came to the scene and told Potter and Lucky about what was going on. They briefed him and said they would arrest Wright under the warrant. She pointed out that they did not approach Wright’s vehicle with handguns, that it was a normal and routine stop and that they had expressed concern for their safety. She also pointed out that Wright complied with officers’ requests to get out of the vehicle and said Wright got scared when Lucky started handcuffing him and tried to get back into his vehicle.
But Potter was the officer in charge, and as soon as she got involved, she immediately made matters worse, Eldridge said. The state also released a short video of the squad’s body cam and squad cam.
“Members of the jury, there is no recovery when you walk the streets with a loaded gun when you are given a lethal weapon in the course of your job. There is no recovery when you take the life of a young man. Eldridge said.
She also pointed out that Potter did nothing to help Wright after shooting him, stating that she did not call for help, render help, or tell any other responding officer that Wright had been shot. . “So almost 10 minutes later a small army of officers approached with guns and dragged Daunte Wright’s corpse out of the car at gunpoint,†Eldridge said.
Eldridge told the jury he would hear about the person whose vehicle was struck by Wright’s car and the person who was driving with Wright at the time. They will also hear from the person who performed the autopsy about the exam and the jury will see photos of Wright’s injuries.
Eldridge also explained “what it is not about in this matter”. She said it wasn’t about whether Potter intended to kill Wright. “No one is going to say that she wanted him to die, no one has to say that they wanted that to happen, and no one is even saying that she intended to shoot him with her gun,” Eldridge said. . It’s not Daunte Wright either, she noted. Instead, it’s all about pulling the wrong gun and not verifying it was the right one before acting, Eldridge said.
The defense objected to a few snippets of Eldridge’s opening statements and, after an objection, Chu told Eldridge to stick with the big picture of the case.
Eldridge also told the jury that they would hear all about the training Potter had undergone and that the evidence would show that Potter had not taken that training. She then presented the jury with some of the Brooklyn Center Police Department’s policies on de-escalation, guns, and Tasers, and showed some photos highlighting the differences between the Taser and Glock that Potter had as well as the operation of the Taser. The footage showing how Potter had positioned his Taser and his gun – Taser on his left side, Glock on his right side – were consistent over the several years leading up to the shooting.
While pointing out many of the training materials Potter had taken, Eldridge pointed out that the Taser training itself instructs officers to slow down and re-evaluate use if there is no immediate safety risk.
“I killed a boy. I killed a boy. Those were the words of the accused. That’s what she said after she did what she did,” Eldridge pointed out just before. to finish his opening speech at 11:25 a.m.
The court then took a 20-minute break before the opening statements of the defense.
Opening statements began Wednesday morning during the trial of former Brooklyn Center cop Kimberly Potter, who is charged with the death of Daunte Wright.
Potter faces first and second degree manslaughter in Wright’s death on April 11.
The court was scheduled to meet at 9:00 am, but fell behind schedule after lawyers for both sides and Judge Regina Chu considered some objections to the trial exhibits and did not begin until around 9:45 am. these objections were recorded, opening statements were finally started just after 10:25 a.m.
Click here to learn more about the jury.
KSTP Full Trial Coverage
This story will continue to be updated throughout the day as the trial unfolds.
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