George Floyd’s Girlfriend And Daunte Wright’s Mother Share A Moment Ahead Of Manslaughter Trial
On the eve of former Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial for killing Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old’s mother, Katie Wright, was photographed embracing George Floyd’s girlfriend, Courteney Ross.
Potter is charged with first and second-degree manslaughter over Wright’s April 11 death, which came after Potter allegedly shot him in the chest. She has claimed that she intended to grab a Taser rather than her gun. Wright was reportedly stopped because he had an air freshener hanging in his rearview mirror and had expired tags.
On Monday, Ross said losing a loved one to police violence is “pain like no other.”
“It's just been nerve-wracking,” said Wright, according to the Daily Mail. “Anxiety, hurt, anger, stress... every emotion you can think of, I've been feeling it.”
The Star Tribune reports that Wright is demanding justice over what happened to her son.
“Justice would be Daunte home and nobody else being murdered by police,” she said. “Accountability is what we can hope and pray for come verdict day.”
On May 17, a judge ruled that a trial may proceed over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright. Hennepin County Judge Regina M. Chu said during a virtual hearing that probable cause was found to support the charges against Potter, the Associated Press reports.
In footage from Potter’s body camera video, officers began to place Wright in handcuffs, arresting him for alleged outstanding warrants. But after a short scuffle, Wright attempted to get in his vehicle, and Potter shouted “taser, taser,” then pulled her service weapon and fired. Wright drove several blocks before crashing. Officers attempted lifesaving maneuvers, but he died at the scene.
At a press conference a day before he also resigned, then-Brooklyn Center Police chief Tim Gannon said Potter mistook her taser for her firearm and characterized it as an “accidental discharge.” The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Wright’s death a homicide.
