Family and friends of Daunte Wright react after the verdict was read in the trial of Kim Potter. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Civil rights attorneys who represent the family of Daunte Wright said the family felt "relieved that the justice system has provided some measure of accountability" for Wright's "senseless death" in a police shooting.
- The family's statement came moments after Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of the 20-year-old during a traffic stop last April.
What they're saying: "If we are ever going to restore the confidence of Black and marginalized Americans in law enforcement, we need to have accountability and a commitment to listening and to creating meaningful change," the statement from attorneys Benjamin Crump, Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms read.
- They also called for the strongest sentence possible and reform of police training and protocols in Brooklyn Center and beyond.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also praised the jury and prosecutors.
- "We have a degree of accountability for Daunte’s death," Ellison said. "Justice is beyond the reach that we have in this life for Daunte, but accountability is an important step."
Of note: Ellison, in a powerful speech to the press, said police officers should be satisfied with the verdict.
- "It does not diminish you," he said. "It shows the whole world that those of you who chose to uphold the law agree to live by it."
The big picture: The shooting, which came during the Derek Chauvin murder trial, sparked days of protests in the Minneapolis suburb.