Daunte Wright's family, Brooklyn Center reach $3.25 million settlement
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. – The family of Daunte Wright and the city of Brooklyn Center have reached a $3.25 million settlement 14 months after the 20-year-old Black man was fatally shot during a traffic stop by a police officer.
The agreement, announced Tuesday evening by the law firms of Romanucci & Blandin and Neward Storms Dworak, also includes a commitment by Brooklyn Center to facilitate "changes in its policies and training related to traffic stops for equipment violations that do not interfere with the safety of the driver, passenger or members of the community."
Attorneys say the settlement will "not be finalized" unless there is also some "meaningful non-monetary relief" that includes de-escalation and mental health training for city officers, and a permanent memorial for Wright.
He was fatally shot by now-former BCPD officer Kim Potter on April 11, 2021, after she and a fellow officer pulled him over for having expired tabs and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. Potter ran Wright's name and discovered he had a warrant out for a non-felony weapons violation.
When Potter and her partner tried to arrest Wright, he jumped back into his vehicle. Potter then fatally shot him in the chest after yelling to her partner "Taser! Taser! Taser!" She maintained during her criminal trial that she accidentally grabbed the wrong weapon.
Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter last December and was given a 16-month prison sentence.
Brooklyn Center officials are expected to release a statement about the settlement Wednesday morning.