Jury Selection Begins in Kim Potter Trial

Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice

Four jurors were confirmed: two white males (one in his 20s and another in his 50s), an Asian woman in her 40s and one white woman in her 60s.

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Chioma Uwagwu reports:

On Monday, jury selection began for the trial of ex-Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter. Potter is facing first and second degree manslaughter charges in the killing of Daunte Wright.

The prosecution team is led by Matthew Frank, who also served as the state’s prosecutor in the Derek Chauvin trial. Potter is represented by defense attorneys Earl Gray and Paul Engh. Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu is presiding.

The trial is being broadcast live; Judge Chu has ordered that the identities of the jurors be withheld until after the trial. However during the morning session, Defense attorney Earl Gray addressed two jurors by their last names. Both jurors were seated; the judge asked Gray to be particularly careful moving forward.

“A couple of the jurors that were named - it’s out there. I don’t want that to happen again,” Chu said.

Of the 11 panel members questioned, four were confirmed. Among the seated are two white males (one in his 20s and another in his 50s), an Asian woman in her 40s and one white woman in her 60s. Juror #7, who was seated, works as an overnight manager for a Target distribution center. At one point Judge Chu asked him to explain his feelings toward the police.

“People are people, and I don’t think that a badge should exclude you from consequences to actions, potentially,” he stated.

Each side used a peremptory strike which is a dismissal of a potential juror without reason. The state used a peremptory strike to dismiss a retired fire captain; the defense used its peremptory strike to dismiss a woman who volunteered on Attorney General Ellison’s campaign back in 2018.

Jury selection is scheduled to continue the rest of the week. Opening statements are set to begin December 8; Judge Chu says she expects the trial to wrap up by Christmas Eve.