Cop makes powerful video calling out officers who can't tell their guns and tasers apart

Earlier this month, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was fatally shot by a White police officer during a routine traffic stop outside Minneapolis. While the death of yet another Black man at the hands of the police sparked outrage across the nation, the assertion that Officer Kim Potter—a cop with 26 years of experience—accidentally drew her handgun while meaning to deploy her Taser, added insult to injury. Many struggled to understand how a seasoned police officer could make such a mistake, including a fellow officer who took to TikTok to address the matter. The now-viral video, posted from the account of a user named Brian B, voiced the skepticism and pain of the public while comparing the two weapons.

In the video—which has since been taken down—the officer is seen holding a black taser up before putting it in its holster on the non-dominant side of his body. He goes on to do the same with his gun, loading it in its holster on his dominant side, and slightly lower down. "Huge weight difference, guys - I don't understand how we can mistake a Taser for a gun or a gun for a Taser," the cop, appearing in his police uniform in the video, says before sitting down.

"If you're in the heat of the moment and you do something like that, you shouldn't be doing this job," he adds. The man goes on to say that "nobody likes a bad cop less than a good cop" and that an officer shouldn't be quick in pulling out a gun or Taser thinking everyone is a threat. "I'm not going to put my life on the line to try and fix your stupidity and deal with restoring the peace with my public that I serve just because of your stupid actions," he said. "It makes no sense. Ninety-nine percent of our job is communication. You don't have to be quick to pull out a gun or a Taser on somebody and think everybody's a threat."

"Not everybody's a threat. Try talking to them, get to know the people," he adds. The video, which made its way to Twitter, received an overwhelmingly positive response as many praised the TikTok user for taking a stance and sharing his perspective as a cop. "I work in a school and we have an officer on campus every day. I asked him 'is it easy to confuse your tas..' I didn't even finish the sentence he immediately said a firm 'no' and explained the same as this officer," commented Twitter user @SunDvl12.

"Need more police officers speaking up like this. '99% of our job is communication.' Should be a sentiment shared by everyone with that badge," wrote @Ivens_Applyrs. "This is the first time I’ve heard a police officer actually say what we’re saying. We need more of this conversation. A lot more. This is exactly what’s missing in all the police communication: calling out bad behavior and focusing on communication over violence," commented @BishopUniverse.

According to CNN, Potter has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. Former Police Chief Tim Gannon, who submitted his resignation following the outcry sparked by Wright's death, said that body camera footage led him to believe the shooting was accidental and that the officer's actions before the shooting were consistent with the department's training on Tasers. "The officer had the intention to deploy their Taser, but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet," he said, adding that the fatal shooting appeared to be "an accidental discharge." Potter, who had been placed on administrative leave within the department following the shooting, later submitted a resignation letter to city officials in which she said that she believes "it is in the best interest of the community, the department and my fellow officers if I resign immediately."