Killing of Daunte Wright

On April 11, 2021, Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old man living in Minneapolis, was fatally shot by Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop and attempted arrest on an outstanding warrant. Wright was pulled over by a trainee officer after his vehicle was observed signaling incorrectly, displaying an expired registration tag, and having an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. A records check revealed an open arrest warrant against Wright for failing to appear on a gross misdemeanor weapons charge, and officers moved to arrest him. Wright resisted, broke free from officers, and stepped back into his car. Potter, a field training officer supervising the trainee, shouted "Taser! Taser! Taser!" before firing her service pistol once, striking Wright in the chest. Body camera footage captured Potter immediately saying, "I grabbed the wrong fucking gun." Wright drove off, traveled roughly 470 feet, and crashed into another vehicle and a concrete barrier. Officers administered CPR, but paramedics were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:18 p.m. His girlfriend, Alayna Albrecht-Payton, who was a passenger, was injured in the crash.

The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled Wright's death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the chest. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated, and the Washington County Attorney's Office, reviewing the case to avoid a conflict of interest, charged Potter on April 14, 2021, with second-degree manslaughter. The case was later returned to Hennepin County, and the Minnesota Attorney General's office took over prosecution, adding a charge of first-degree manslaughter in September 2021. Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned two days after the shooting.

The shooting sparked protests in Brooklyn Center that spread throughout the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and to other U.S. cities, prompting citywide and regional curfews and deployment of the Minnesota National Guard. The unrest occurred while former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's trial for the murder of George Floyd was underway.

Potter's trial began November 30, 2021, in Hennepin County District Court before Judge Regina Chu. The defense argued Potter made a "slip and capture" error under stress; the prosecution argued she was negligent in her use of the firearm. On December 23, 2021, a jury convicted Potter of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. On February 18, 2022, Judge Chu sentenced Potter to two years in prison, below the standard range for first-degree manslaughter. Potter was released on April 24, 2023, after serving 16 months, with the remainder of her sentence served on supervised release.

Wright's family settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the City of Brooklyn Center for $3.25 million in 2022, and Albrecht-Payton settled a separate lawsuit for $350,000 in 2023. The case contributed to broader discussion of police reform, including changes to Taser policies and traffic stop procedures in Minnesota and other states.