Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran officer, faces a second-degree homicide charge for shooting Wright near Minneapolis.
The former U.S. police officer charged homicides to fatally shoot a 20-year-old black motorist Daunte Wright during a traffic stop near Minneapolis, last month will be prosecuted Dec. 6, a state judge said Monday.
Kimberly Potter, 48, was captured on camera carried by the body of her colleague attempting to arrest Wright for a pending order in the suburban town of Brooklyn Center on April 11th.
The images he showed Potter approaches Wright while he is out of his car while another officer stops him.
While Wright was fighting the police, Potter he screamed, “Tase you! I’m going to taste you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” Before firing a single shot from a pistol in his right hand.
The deadly shooting, which occurred as the Minneapolis test of ex-officer Derek Chauvin for the assassination of George Floyd was underway, spurred on great protests at the Brooklyn Center demanding an end to police brutality against blacks.
The police said so Wright he was removed for expired tags, but they tried to arrest him after discovering a pending order.
The order was that he not appear in court accused of fleeing officers and that he had a gun without permission during a meeting with Minneapolis police in June.
Former city police chief Tim Gannon said Potter, who resigned after the shooting, misused his weapon instead of the Taser.
Potter did not file any pleas during it initial court appearance last month, and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters news agency.
The December 6 trial date was set during a brief videoconference hearing Monday, known as the omnibus hearing under Minnesota law, before Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu.
Potter, dressed in black, appeared in his office next to his lawyer Earl Gray. He spoke only to say that he understood and was not opposed to the procedure being held virtually.
Kim Potter did not file any claims during her initial court appearance last month [File: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via Reuters]
The shooting occurred during the trial of Chauvin, a former white Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murder for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes in May last year.
The assassination of Floyd, who was captured on camera, sparked massive protests in the U.S. and around the world demanding an end to police violence against blacks.
Chauvin he was found guilty of manslaughter and manslaughter on April 20, but his lawyer did requested a new trial, citing misconduct by the prosecutor and a tainted jury, among other issues.
Chauvin and the other three officers present during Floyd’s death as well face federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
