'He was loved': Daunte Wright's father gives 'spark of life' testimony

Daunte Wright's father provides "spark of life" testimony during the trial of former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter.

A Minneapolis jury has heard emotional testimony from Daunte Wright's mother, girlfriend and now father in the trial of former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter.

Arbuey Wright took to the witness stand Wednesday not to speak to the circumstances of the fatal April traffic stop, during which Potter discharged her firearm, killing his 20-year-old son, but to provide what is known as "spark of life" testimony.

Stemming from a 1985 state Supreme Court case, Minnesota is rare in permitting such personal and often emotional testimony from loved ones of an alleged crime victim in advance of a verdict. In most states, such testimony is reserved for victim impact statements during sentencing if there is a conviction.

Spark of life testimony was also used in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin earlier this year, when George Floyd's brother took the stand to give depth to his life story.