Keith Ellison To Lead Prosecution Against Kim Potter

Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison will reportedly be taking over the prosecution of Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop last month.

According to CBS Minnesota, the case was previously being handled by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which asked Ellison to take it on.

Potter has been charged with second degree manslaughter and has since quit her job as a Minneapolis police officer.

“I did not seek this prosecution and do not accept it lightly,” Ellison told CBS Minnesota. “I have had, and continue to have, confidence in how both County Attorney Orput and County Attorney Freeman have handled this case to date. I thank County Attorney Orput for the solid work he and his office have done, and I thank County Attorney Freeman once again for his confidence in my office.”

RELATED: Judge Says Ex-Officer Charged In Daunte Wright Shooting Death Can Stand Trial

On May 17, a judge ruled that a trial may proceed over the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Wright,who was fatally wounded when he was pulled over for expired tags. Hennepin County Judge Regina M. Chu said during a virtual hearing that probable cause was found to support the charges against Potter, the Associated Press reports. A tentative trial date was subsequently set for December 6.

In footage from Potter’s body camera video, officers began to place Wright in handcuffs, arresting him for alleged outstanding warrants. But after a short scuffle, Wright attempted to get in his vehicle, and Potter shouted “taser, taser,” then pulled her service weapon and fired. Wright drove several blocks before crashing. Officers attempted lifesaving maneuvers, but he died at the scene.

At a press conference a day before he also resigned, then-Brooklyn Center Police chief Tim Gannon said Potter mistook her taser for her firearm and characterized it as an “accidental discharge.” The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Wright’s death a homicide.