Kim Potter, the former Minnesota cop who fatally shot Daunte Wright after mistaking her gun for a Taser, received a two-year prison sentence.
Potter, 49, was found guilty in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the fatal event, which occurred during a traffic check in the Minneapolis neighborhood of Brooklyn Center.
On Friday, February 18, she was sentenced to two years in jail, significantly less than the usual of around seven years for manslaughter, after a court ruled that leniency was justified because the officer had intended to use her Taser rather than her gun when she was shot.
She’ll be sentenced to 16 months in prison, after which she’ll be eligible for release at any moment if she maintains good behavior.
The remainder of the sentence would be served under supervision. Potter has already served 58 days in prison.
Judge Regina Chu remarked after the sentence was handed down, “To those who disagree and believe a longer jail sentence is necessary, as difficult as it may be, please try to empathize with Ms. Potter’s circumstances,” adding that Wright’s life “mattered.”
On the night of April 11, 2021, Potter pulled over 20-year-old Wright for expired plates, only to discover he also had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out for his arrest.
Officers attempted to apprehend him, but he eluded them and returned to his vehicle’s driver’s seat. Potter’s bodycam footage then shows the cop saying “Taser, Taser” before firing her weapon at Wright, who is Black.
Wright was only able to travel a short distance before colliding with another vehicle nearby. His fiancée, who was in the passenger seat at the time, was hurt, but he was pronounced dead on the site.
Judge Regina Chu of Hennepin County said a suspect with no criminal history, such as Potter, would normally receive a sentence of just over six years to nearly eight and a half years in jail, with a projected term of just over seven years.
“Of all the positions in the public sector, police officers have the toughest. They must make split-second decisions in difficult, ever-changing situations. Every day, they put their lives on the line for the greater good. Officer Potter committed a blunder that resulted in tragedy,” Chu stated, trying to keep her cool.
“She had no intention of hurting anyone.” Her behavior screams for a sentence well below the recommendations.”
Potter was found guilty on Dec. 23 after a four-day jury deliberation.
Earlier in the sentencing hearing, the Wright family (seen below) requested that Chu sentence Potter to the greatest amount of time possible in jail.
“I beg that Kim Potter be held accountable and that the maximum penalty be applied due of her negligence, which is incomparable to the life sentence we have been given,” Daunte’s father, Arbuey Wright, said. “My son Daunte’s life was taken from him far too soon, and he will never return, and it has had an impact on my entire family.”
Katie Wright, Potter’s mother, testified before the court that she would never forgive him.
“She kept referring to Daunte as the driver,” she added, “as if killing him wasn’t enough to degrade him.” “She never once mentioned his name, and I’ll never forgive you for that.” And I’ll never forgive you for the things you’ve taken from me.
Katie Wright said she wanted to see more from Potter during the trial.
“My heart wanted to see remorse, sadness in her eyes,” she said. “I wanted to see her mouth the words ‘I’m sorry,’ but she sat there with such entitlement and privilege. She never once looked at us.”
Later in the hearing, Potter apologized, saying she didn’t believe she “had a right” to look at the family.
“Katie, I understand a mother’s love, and I am sorry I broke your heart,” Potter said. “My heart is broken for all of you.”