Stress can cause weapons mix-ups, says witness at Potter trial

Unitended effect may come with mix-up

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) — A psychologist says police officers can mistakenly draw their gun instead of their Taser under high-stress situations because their ingrained training takes over.

Laurence Miller, who teaches at Florida Atlantic University, testified Friday at the manslaughter trial for Kim Potter, the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright during an April traffic stop.

Miller said that when a person learns a new skill, memory of an old skill may override it, resulting in an “action error," which is when an intended action has an unintended effect.

Potter is also expected to take the stand Friday.

She hopes to persuade jurors to acquit her of manslaughter charges in what she has said was a gun-Taser mix-up.