Dozens arrested after manslaughter charge announced against officer in Daunte Wright shooting

Authorities said they arrested dozens of people in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Wednesday as officers attempted to disperse crowds on the fourth straight night of protests following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. 

Minnesota State Patrol Chief Col. Matt Langer told reporters shortly after midnight that about 24 people were detained on charges including violating the 10 p.m. curfew and rioting, according to ABC News. 

Langer noted that the number of arrests was lower than the previous night, when 72 people were detained. 

“We just want people to leave. We don’t want to arrest people,” Langer said. “The goal of law enforcement is not every night to see how many people we can arrest. Our goal is to plead and ask and direct and help people understand how not to get arrested by listening to our simple advice.”

Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington estimated that roughly 500 people participated in the protests Wednesday, adding that some members of the crowd “pulled on the fence, shot pyrotechnics, lobbed bricks and bottles over the fence.” 

Wednesday’s protests came after police announced a second-degree manslaughter charge was filed against former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, whom authorities previously identified as the officer who shot Wright during a traffic stop Sunday. 

Police have said that Potter was attempting to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant when he tried to get back into his car and that she had meant to use her Taser and instead pulled her gun. 

Potter, as well as Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, have resigned since the fatal shooting. 

Potter was released later Wednesday after being held at the Hennepin County Jail on a bail of $100,000.