The family of a Minnesota man shot and killed by police as he attempted to escape has settled with the city for millions in a deal that will include a permanent memorial to him.
Daunte Wright, 20, was accidentally shot and killed last year while resisting arrest, but his family was awarded $3.25 million by the city of Brooklyn Center, Minn., near Minneapolis, over the incident.
In a statement, the family’s attorney said the agreed-upon settlement isn’t final until police training on issues like officer intervention, implicit bias, weapons confusion, and mental health crises is incorporated along with a permanent memorial to Wright, Fox News reported.
“The comprehensive settlement in this tragic case will provide a meaningful measure of accountability to the family for their deep loss of a son, sibling and father, and they hope and believe the measures of change to policing, policies and training will create important improvements to the community in Daunte’s name,” attorney Antonio Romanucci said in the statement.
“Nothing can bring him back, but the family hopes his legacy is a positive one and prevents any other family from enduring the type of grief they will live with for the rest of their lives,” he added.
The American Wire notes:
Wright was killed when then-Officer Kim Potter apparently grabbed her firearm instead of her stun gun as Wright struggled with another officer who was in the process of handcuffing him for an outstanding warrant. He was trying to get back into his vehicle when Potter fired.
She can be heard on video yelling, “I will tase you!, before saying, “Taser! Taser! Taser!” This reportedly being part of their training to inform other officers that a taser is being deployed.
The former officer was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in state prison.
A video that surfaced later captures a distraught Potter saying, “I shot him — I grabbed the wrong f**king gun! I shot him. Oh my god!”
Wright had a criminal record “after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police,” Fox News reported in April 2021, which cited court records.
Fox News added:
Wright had been pulled over for having expired tags and an air freshener hanging from his mirror. Potter shot him after he jumped back into his vehicle when she tried to arrest him after realizing he was wanted on a non-felony warrant.
Family attorney Jeff Storms said there is no “true justice” for Wright’s family because “Daunte is never coming home” but the settlement by the city shows a “commitment to accountability for this small community.”
Last year, the city of Minneapolis reached a settlement with the family of George Floyd for $27 million.
