Ex-Cop Kim Potter Charged With 2nd-Degree Manslaughter in Daunte Wright's Death

Kim Potter, the police officer who resigned after fatally shooting Daunte Wright, is now facing a charge of second-degree manslaughter, according to a prosecutor.

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput charged the 26-year police veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department on Wednesday for the Sunday shooting that has inflamed racial tensions in Minneapolis City.

The shooting incident happened just blocks away from the spot where George Floyd died at the hands of police last May. Daunte Wright was shot as police were trying to arrest him due to an outstanding warrant.

According to USA Today, Washington County assistant criminal division chief Imran Ali said that certain occupations carry immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer.

Ali noted that they intend to prove that Kim Potter abrogated her responsibility to protect the public when she used her firearm instead of a taser.

Ali said that Kim Potter's action caused the unlawful killing of Daunte Wright, and "she must be held accountable.''

Jill Oliveira, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), said the agency's agents had already arrested Kim Potter on Wednesday morning.

Oliveira noted that the 48-year-old former white cop was taken into custody before noon at the BCA in St. Paul. But she was later released on $100,000 bail, BBC reported.

Kim Potter resigned on Tuesday as calls for justice for the 20-year-old Black man echoed throughout Minnesota. The former police officer is scheduled to make her first court appearance on Thursday.

Tim Gannon, the police chief, has also resigned on Tuesday. Gannon earlier said that he believes that Kim Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun when reaching for her Taser. In bodycam footage, she could be heard shouting, "Taser! Taser!"

But Wright's family rejected this explanation. They said that they could not accept that it was just a mistake and called for Potter to be held accountable.

Up to 10 Years of Jail Time

If proven guilty, Kim Potter could face up to 10 years imprisonment and will have to pay a $20,000 fine based on Minnesota law.

In a statement, Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer representing Wright's family, together with co-counsel Jeff Storms and Antonio Romanucci, said that they appreciate that the district attorney is pursuing justice for Daunte Wright. However, Crump noted that no conviction could give the Wright family their loved one back.

The statement added that this was no accident as it was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force.

The medical examiner of Hennepin County said that Daunte Wright died of a gunshot wound to his chest and ruled his death a homicide.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson noted that a badge should never be a shield to accountability. He said that a police officer brutally killed Daunte Wright, and justice must prevail, NBC News reported.

The Attorney's Office of Hennepin County handed over any charging decision to Orput earlier this week as the BAC investigates the case.

Last year, local prosecutors in the Minneapolis area agreed to refer the cases that involve police use of deadly force to prosecutors in other jurisdictions,

On Tuesday, Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said state Attorney General Keith Ellison should handle the investigation of the case to ensure that there will be transparency and continue building trust in their community.

WATCH: US Police Officer Arrested Over Killing of Black Motorist Daunte Wright - From BBC News