DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL

Prosecutors at Kim Potter trial document her Taser training

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A police official says the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright with her handgun when she said she meant to use her Taser had been fully trained in their department’s policies on the proper use of force, including stun guns. Brooklyn Center Police Commander Garett Flesland testified Tuesday that Kim Potter, who resigned two days after she shot Wright, should have been familiar with the policies even as they evolved during her 26-year career and that she repeatedly signed documents acknowledging the rules. The testimony came during the second week of Potter's manslaughter trial. The defense has called the shooting a horrific mistake. Prosecutors have said Potter was experienced and trained to know better.

GROCERIES RAN OVER

Police: Delivery driver ran over elderly couple's groceries

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Charges are expected soon for a Minnesota grocery cart delivery worker accused of driving over sacks of food meant for an elderly couple because she was angry about their sign supporting law enforcement. Police say the incident happened Dec. 6 after the couple ordered $50 worth of groceries to be delivered to their home in the north Twin Cities suburb of Blaine. The driver allegedly scribbled a note on the receipt that called police “racist pigs.” Investigators say the pro-police sign was in the front yard of the home but did not describe it. The couple received a full refund from Instacart, which said it fired the delivery driver.

FIRE CHIEF CHARGED

Police say crash involving fire chief injured other driver

WEST FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A police report on a West Fargo crash that led to a misdemeanor charge against a fire chief reveals the accident seriously injured the driver of the other vehicle involved. Mapleton Fire Chief Kayla Cross, who is also a battalion chief in Moorhead, Minnesota, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of refusing to take a blood alcohol test. According to authorities, the chief was driving across a street onto an Interstate 94 entrance ramp when she collided with the other vehicle on Nov. 13. Police said it’s not known which driver had the right of way. The report says the woman in the second vehicle was taken to Sanford Medical Center with “serious injuries.” Cross was not injured.

WIFE KILLED-HUSBAND CHARGED

$1 million bond set for Carlton County man in wife's death

KETTLE RIVER, Minn. (AP) — Bond has been set at $1 million for a Carlton County man accused of fatally shooting his wife. Sixty-five-year-old Raymond Julian was arraigned Monday on a charge of intentional second-degree murder in the death of Tracy Julian. The 62-year-old victim was found with gunshot wounds Friday at the couple’s property near Kettle River. A Carlton County sheriff’s deputy went to check on the couple after a third party reported receiving an email from the defendant implying that he planned to kill his wife. Officials say it appears Tracy Julian died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest, although autopsy results are still pending.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK

COVID toll hits 800,000 to close out year filled with death

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — The death toll from COVID-19 has hit 800,000 in the U.S., bringing an end to an especially difficult year for the many families who lost loved ones during the pandemic. Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved Kansas high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew hundreds. The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his family as the holidays approach. His mother set up a special holiday shelf, filling it with a drawing of her son, his bronzed baby shoe, a candle and an ornament of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-CHAUVIN

Chauvin expected to plead guilty in Floyd civil rights case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin appears to be on the verge of pleading guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights. A federal docket entry on Monday shows that a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for Chauvin to change his not guilty plea. The move would remove Chauvin from a federal trial but could significantly increase the likely length of his sentence. Chauvin has already been convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges for pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck as the Black man said he couldn’t breathe in May 2020. Chauvin and three other former officers were scheduled to go to trial in late January on the civil rights charges.

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL-EXPLAINER-GUN AND TASER

EXPLAINER: How does an officer use a gun instead of a Taser?

At former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial for fatally shooting Daunte Wright, a Black motorist, the core of her defense is clear: She says she meant to use her Taser but grabbed her handgun instead. Experts say such cases are rare, but they do happen. Similar cases have been reported in recent years in California, Oklahoma and Missouri. Bill Lewinski studies police psychology and has used the phrase “slip and capture” errors to describe the phenomenon. Lewinski says officers sometimes perform the direct opposite of their intended actions under stress. Other experts say a major factor in why officers mistakenly draw their firearms is that stun guns typically look and feel like a firearm.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Person affiliated with university has COVID omicron variant

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A person affiliated with Minnesota State University, Mankato has the state’s second confirmed coronavirus case involving the omicron variant. University President Edward Inch has sent a letter to faculty, staff and students telling them that the Minnesota Department of Health had notified school officials that the omicron variant was confirmed in a vaccinated person at the university and that individual had recently tested positive. Inch says the infected person is doing fine and is isolating. Inch encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and receive a booster. In addition, the university will make COVID-19 testing available on campus Tuesday.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021