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The officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, as well as the police chief of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota resigned from their positions.
Mayor Mike Elliott confirmed he received the resignations Tuesday after the City Council voted to recommend Officer Kim Potter and Chief Tim Gannon be fired. This news comes as protests continue over the killing.
The horrifying news of Wright's death was compounded by the official explanation Gannon gave reporters, saying Potter mistook her gun for her Taser.
Despite the video showing Potter yelling "Taser! Taser" before grabbing her gun, the internet reacted with disbelief this could be the case.
Gannon was also criticized for sidestepping questions. After the incident Potter was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
At the press conference, Gannon was asked if he believed Potter would be fired, and he responded:
"I think we can watch the video and ascertain whether she will be returning."
Despite this, it was still surprising to some they both resigned so quickly.
Tuesday night, Elliott was asked why the two were allowed to resign instead of being terminated and the mayor said:
"We were going through our own processes to make sure that internally we had all of the documentation in order."
Elliott also brought up he doesn't believe any of the 49 officers for Brooklyn Center live in the suburb and there's few officers who are people of color. He also expressed his hope things can improve with a shift to a community-based approach to policing.
Meanwhile, the community continues to protest against actions taken by the police, with calls to defund the system still coming from many.
People were particularly upset the resignation would be used as a smokescreen to prevent any further consequences Potter may have faced after the investigation.
When Naisha Wright, the aunt of Daunte Wright, was told Potter had resigned, she said:
"Put her in jail, like they would do any one of us."
The shooting sparked protests in the Minneapolis area, where Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, is currently on trial for murder.
The protests continued into Tuesday night, even after news of the resignations.