Daunte Wright's family holds balloon release to mark second anniversary of his death
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. – A moving memorial was held Tuesday night in Brooklyn Center, as the community marked the second anniversary of Daunte Wright's death.
Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter, who was convicted of manslaughter after claiming she mistook her gun for a taser, is set to be released from prison later this month.
The community gathered outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department to mark two years without Wright.
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"He still shines bright. I feel him, I know he's here with us. I see his smile every day and it just really isn't fair that Daunte wasn't able to make it home that Sunday for dinner," said Katie Wright, Daunte's mother.
The 20 year old was shot and killed during a traffic stop by Potter. She's set to be released April 24 after serving 16 months in prison.
"She has two sons and she is gonna be able to go home to them in less than two weeks," Wright said.
Shortly after his death, the city passed the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act, promising sweeping changes to policing. For the most part, the demands in the act have yet to be implemented.
"This far down the road, and with so little progress made, and a really deep feeling of watering down of what will end up getting passed," said Amity Dimock, Kobe's mother.
Dimok and Wright are co-chairs of the implementation committee. They say they made recommendations to the city council about six months ago, but have yet to see the council move their proposals forward to an eventual vote and implementation.
"To lose Daunte in a city that promised so many changes, and all we see is baby steps? And we're not even seeing that," Wright said.
Since Daunte Wright's death in 2021, there have been several changes to city leadership in Brooklyn Center, including several new city council members, new mayor and police chief.