Before Daunte Wright, the Black man who was fatally shot by a white officer Sunday in Minnesota, there was the remarkably similar case of Oscar Grant.
Early on the first day of 2009, Grant, also a Black man, was shot and killed by a transit police officer while lying facedown on a platform at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland, California. His story was adapted into the 2014 film "Fruitvale Station," directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan.
Based on recommendations by use-of-force experts, Axon suggests that Tasers "be placed on an officer's non-dominant side, and firearm on the dominant side," the company said.
"Numerous independent, peer-reviewed studies have established Taser energy weapons as being the safest and most effective weapon available to law enforcement officers. However, like all use of force weapons, they are not risk-free," the statement said. "Although very rare, there have been isolated incidents of an officer accidentally using their firearm instead of their Taser energy weapon."
John Burris, the lawyer who represented Grant's family, said he was "shocked" at how officers handled Sunday's incident, because Wright had been stopped "for a minor issue."
"For a Taser to be used in this situation was not appropriate, and the mistake that was made is inexcusable," he said Tuesday.
Wright, 20, died after he was shot in the chest by Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force. In a statement Tuesday, Law Enforcement Labor Services, the police union, said she had resigned.
U.S. NEWSEx-officer Kim Potter to be charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter in Daunte Wright case
Video released by police appeared to show Wright getting out of his car after he was stopped for a traffic violation. He then got back in as officers tried to apprehend him on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant that they discovered after they pulled him over.
In the video, a woman could be heard shouting "Taser!" before Wright was shot. A woman's voice could then be heard saying, "Holy s--- I just shot him," as the car pulled away, police said. Brooklyn Center is a suburb of Minneapolis about 14 miles north of where George Floyd died last year.
The issue of mixing up a Taser and a handgun took center stage after Grant's death was recorded on cellphone video and widely shared on social media, Burris said.
