MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Thursday the state will add a first-degree manslaughter charge to the case against former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter.
In a statement, Ellison's office said after conducting a review of the case, the attorney general believed Potter acted recklessly while handling a firearm, warranting the amendment to the complaint.
The original charge of second-degree manslaughter also still stands.
Potter is accused of shooting and killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright in April during a traffic stop. The amended criminal complaint says Potter believed she was reaching for her Taser when she pulled out her handgun and subsequently shot Wright. Immediately after the shooting, the complaint says Potter said, "I shot him. I'm going to prison. I killed a boy."
Two days after the fatal shooting, both Potter and Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon resigned from their positions.
The complaint also states Potter received "a substantial amount of training" in both the use of firearms and Tasers. The training included how to draw, aim and use each weapon correctly, and the risks of confusing the two.
Six months before the shooting, Potter completed two Taser-specific training courses.
Potter is scheduled to stand trial on Nov. 30.
