MINNEAPOLIS — The former Brooklyn Center police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright after apparently mistaking her gun for a Taser might defend her actions at trial by framing them as an "innocent mistake" or "reasonable," according to a court filing.
Kimberly Potter's attorneys, Paul Engh and Earl Gray, filed a notice of defenses Wednesday afternoon that was made public Thursday morning outlining four potential options.
The defenses are: "innocent accident"; "innocent mistake"; "her perceived use of a Taser was reasonable"; and "lack of causation." Potter's attorneys reserved the right to introduce other defenses at a later date pending further review of "voluminous" evidence,
Potter fatally shot Wright, 20, on April 11 during a traffic stop.
Police said Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, mistook her gun for her Taser when she shot Wright as he attempted to get back into his vehicle during an arrest. The shooting led to days of turbulent protests.
Potter is free on $100,000 bond. She is charged with one count each of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter and is scheduled to be tried Nov. 30.
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