With the trial of Derek Chauvin for his murder of George Floyd, drawing to a close, we have another completely contemptible shooting by a contemptible cop.

In this case, a 20 year old by the name of Duante Wright (Surprise, he’s black) was once shot to death at a traffic stop by one of Minnesota’s finest.

This is after George Floyd, and Philando Castile who was shot for telling a Minnesota cop that he had on his person a legally owned firearm.

The police chief is now saying that the officer mistakenly drew her Glock instead of her Taser, implying that it was an honest mistake which is unadulterated crap for the following reasons:

• The Glock and the Taser are carried on opposite sides, so you have to pull the Taser by reaching across your body.
• The Glock is twice the weight of the Taser unloaded, and the weight difference is even more when carrying a full clip.
• The Taser is bright kiddie toy yellow, while the Glock is black.
• The Glock has an automatic safety, while the Taser has to be turned on, or turned off and then on before use, and shuts itself down after 20 minutes to save the battery. (See attached manual)

I’m not saying that the Officer woke up that morning and decided, “I’m going to shoot me a n*****,” nor am I suggesting that she made a snap decision, “He’s an uppity n*****, I’ll shoot him,” but I AM saying that her was reckless and showed callous disregard for human life, and that as a police officer, she is a trained expert in the use of force.

That makes her culpable, and I hope the full force of the law drops the hammer on her.

BTW, when I say, “The full force of the law,” I don’t mean the 1 year that Johannes Mehserle for shooting of Oscar Grant, or the year and a half that Robert Bates got for shooting Eric Harris, both black, both officers claimed, “Oops, I thought that it was my Taser,”  I mean real consequences.

This sh%$ is just f%$#ing evil:

The traffic stop that would end Daunte Wright’s life played out on a Brooklyn Center police officer’s body camera. Officers appeared to try to handcuff him; then he slipped back into the driver’s seat.

A female officer yelled, “Taser, Taser,” and then fired her gun. “Holy sh%$, I just shot him,” she said.

Once again, a Black man died during a police encounter. In an instant, the world’s focus on Minnesota shifted from the trial of Derek Chauvin to a new outrage that brought street protests, promises of reform, and anguish over a relentless pattern of deadly police misconduct.

Military vehicles rumbled down city streets as businesses hastily closed to comply with a four-county 7 p.m. curfew Monday ordered by Gov. Tim Walz. While a massive police presence mobilized to prevent any repeat of the riots after the death of George Floyd, President Joe Biden called for “peace and calm.”

Heeding the demands of protesters, Brooklyn Center’s leaders dismissed the longtime city manager and granted authority over police to Mayor Mike Elliott. Elliott will make a decision Tuesday about whether to fire police Chief Tim Gannon, who described the officer’s use of a firearm instead of a Taser as an “accidental discharge.”

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the officer as Kimberly A. Potter, 48, who has been a police officer for 26 years. She has been put on leave.

 Officer Potter should not have been a police officer for 26 days.

………

The shooting happened about 2 p.m. Sunday in the area of 63rd and Orchard avenues N. Gannon said he was told during a briefing that officers stopped Wright’s car because it had an expired tag and, when they checked his name, they found he had a warrant.

According to Hennepin County District Court records, a warrant was issued April 2 for Wright after he failed to make his first court appearance on a case filed in March of carrying a pistol without a permit, a gross misdemeanor, and fleeing police, a misdemeanor. It’s unclear whether Wright knew he had a court hearing, as he was charged by summons.

………

Brooklyn Center has a population of about 31,000, roughly 60% of whom identified as people of color in the latest census. Brooklyn Center police officers have killed six civilians since 2012. Four were Black.

That’s a lot of shootings for a community smaller than a full ball park at an Orioles game.

The Brooklyn Center PD has 49 officers.  Shut it down and let the state police take over.