Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned on Tuesday, after calls for their dismissal over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.

After video showing Potter yell "taser, taser, taser" and firing her gun was released, Gannon called the shooting accidental. 

"As I watch the video and listen to the officer's commands it is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet. This appears to me from what I viewed and the officer's reaction and distress immediately after, that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright," he said during a press conference on Monday. 

Sunday's shooting and Monday’s claims of an accident, triggered two nights of protests in Minnesota and around the U.S.

Protesters outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department were met with police in riot gear and fired at with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Kim Potter's resignation letter says she is leaving effective immediately, writing "it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers."

Mayor Mike Elliot says he has not accepted Potter's resignation yet and his office is still "reviewing the matter."

On Monday, City Manager Curt Boganey said Potter should go through due process, after Mayor Elliot said she should be fired.

Boganey has since been fired after the city council voted to give the mayor's office "command authority".

As a 26-year veteran police officer, many are questioning how Potter could mistake her gun for a taser. 

Situations like these are rare, with nine similar shootings documented in a law journal by Americans for Effective Law Enforcement, the New York Times reports.

But police officers go through extensive training and have protocols in place to help avoid confusing a gun for a taser. 

Brooklyn Center Police Department protocol directs officers to wear their guns on their dominant side and tasers on the opposite side, to avoid confusion.

The police department manual also states "all Taser devices shall be clearly and distinctly marked to differentiate them from the duty weapon and any other device."

Body-camera footage from the shooting does not show how Potter carried her weapons but indicates she is right handed since she fired with her right hand.

Guns and tasers also look and feel different. Tasers are often bright colors or with neon accents and weigh significantly less.

They also lack a trigger safety and have different grips compared to a gun.

The New York Times also notes, the department's manual says tasers should not be used on people or in occasions that could lead to collateral injury and officers should avoid targeting key areas like the chest, head and neck.

After Wright was shot in the chest while sitting in the driver's seat of his car, the car traveled a few blocks before crashing into another vehicle.

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