AG Ellison to lead prosecution of ex-cop in Wright's killing

Welcome to a steamy, summery weekend🔆🌡️We’ll be way above average this Saturday, with much of the metro area topping out around 90, and the 80s elsewhere in Minnesota. Sunday will be cooler, with highs in the 60s to the lower 80s. Spotty thundershowers are possible across all of Minnesota Saturday night and Sunday. Get the latest from Updraft.

Attorney General Keith Ellison will lead the prosecution of ex-cop Kim Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright.

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott asked for Ellison’s office to take over prosecution as it did in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-cop recently convicted of murder in the killing of George Floyd.

It’s not clear if Ellison will seek a murder charge against Potter, but in a statement Friday, Ellison said gaining a conviction would not be easy. Wright was shot and killed by Potter last month.

A former St. Paul cop gets 6 years in prison for excessive force in a K-9 confrontation in 2016.

A federal court judge on Friday sentenced former officer Brett Palkowitsch to six years in prison for using excessive force during an arrest involving a police dog. Palkowitsch had been found guilty of kicking and injuring Frank Baker and allowing a K-9 to maul Baker in 2016 after the man was mistaken for a robbery suspect.

In court, the former officer offered an apology to Baker. To move forward with his life, Baker said he forgave Palkowitsch long ago, but added the ex-cop's courtroom apology was not sincere.

Minnesota’s COVID-19 data continues to show both pandemic and vaccination numbers in retreat.

New cases, known active cases and new hospital admissions are all declining from the spring surge. Even more encouraging: the seven-day new case trend has fallen to its lowest level since late September.

At the same time, the effort to get the vast majority of Minnesota adults vaccinated is struggling to regain traction. Minnesota was averaging 60,000 shots a day at one point in mid-April before it began dropping. It’s been running at less than 40,000 daily the past two weeks.