Lawsuit Alleges Daunte Wright Shot Teen In Head In 2019, Causing 'Serious, Disabling And Permanent Injuries'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A mother is suing the estate of Daunte Wright, alleging the young man killed by Brooklyn Center police last month shot her teenage son in the head two years ago, causing "serious, disabling, and permanent injuries."
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Hennepin County by Jennifer LeMay, alleges Wright "shot and badly injured" Caleb Livingston in May of 2019, "to the point where he is alive but has no function."
LeMay says Livingston, now 18, was once friends with Wright, but they had a "falling out," culminating with Livingstone beating up Wright in front of a group of people in May of 2019. She alleges Wright then retaliated by shooting Livingston outside a Minneapolis gas station.
LeMay is seeking more than $50,000 from Wright's estate. The lawsuit says the shooting remains an open investigation. WCCO reached out to the Wright family's attorney and the Minneapolis Police Department, but did not hear back from either party as of late Friday night.
Wright, 20, was fatally shot by now-former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter on April 11 during a traffic stop. Potter and another officer pulled Wright over for having expired tabs, and because he had an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. The officers then discovered there was a gun-related arrest warrant out for him. During the traffic stop, as seen from police body camera footage, Wright got out of his car momentarily, then jumped back inside.
BCPD's now-ex chief said Potter meant to grab her Taser to subdue him, but accidentally grabbed her service weapon and fatally shot him at close range.
Wright's death -- in the midst of the Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd -- sparked several nights of protest outside BCPD's headquarters, some of which turned violent. Potter was charged with second-degree manslaughter, and her trial is set to begin in December.
