BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Brooklyn Center City Manager Curt Boganey was fired on Monday evening, hours after he publicly disagreed with Mayor Mike Elliott’s assertion that the police officer who fatally shot a black man in the Minneapolis suburb should be immediately fired in response to the incident.
“Effective immediately our city manager has been relieved of his duties, and the deputy city manager will be assuming his duties moving forward,” Elliott wrote on Twitter. “I will continue to work my hardest to ensure good leadership at all levels of our city government.”
Effective immediately our city manager has been relieved of his duties, and the deputy city manager will be assuming his duties moving forward. I will continue to work my hardest to ensure good leadership at all levels of our city government.
— Mayor Mike Elliott (@mayor_elliott) April 12, 2021
Daunte Wright, 20, was fatally shot during a detention on Sunday. Bodycam footage showed three officers gathered near a stopped car that police said was pulled over for an expired registration. Police attempted to arrest the man, later identified as Wright, for an outstanding warrant. A struggle ensued, followed by the fatal shooting, according to Fox News.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said the officer who shot and killed Wright had intended to fire a Taser, not her service weapon, Law Officer reported. Authorities have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting.
The Brooklyn Center City Council voted to fire Boganey, a longtime city employee, during an emergency meeting, the Star Tribune reported. At the same meeting, the council voted to give the mayor command authority over the city’s police department.
“He was doing a great job. I respect him dearly. I didn’t want repercussions at a personal level.”
– Council Member Kris Lawrence-Anderson
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UPDATE:
The Brooklyn Center police officer who was involved in the fatal shooting has reportedly been identified as 26-year veteran Kimberly Potter.
The 48-year-old officer’s identity was revealed by the Star Tribune, citing two law enforcement sources.
Potter acquired her Minnesota police officer’s license in 1995 and the age of 22 and began working for the Brooklyn Center Police Department shortly after, according to state records reviewed by the newspaper.
During her career, she has served on the department’s negotiation team, the report said.