Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday, Feb. 18, for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in 2021.
According to NBC, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu ordered Potter to serve just 16 months behind bars and the last eight months on supervised release. She determined that the ex-officer made an error when she pulled her gun out, allegedly thinking it was a taser, on 20-year-old Wright and shot him.
“This is a cop who made a tragic mistake. She drew her firearm thinking it was a taser and ended up killing a young man,” she said.
The 49-year-old was convicted of first and second-degree manslaughter in December 2021 for shooting and killing Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Apr. 11, 2021. The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter in Minnesota is reportedly 15 years in jail and/or a $30,000 fine. The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter, on the other hand, is reportedly ten years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. Yet, Potter received a much shorter sentence and already served 58 days in jail, which would go towards her credit.
Body camera footage revealed that Wright struggled with police as they tried to arrest him during a traffic stop. As he resisted, Potter unleashed her weapon and fired at him, striking him once in the chest once and killing him. However, the ex-officer maintained that she meant to pick up her taser instead.
His untimely death occurred amid civil unrest and protests surrounding the trial of white Minneapolis ex-officer Derek Chauvin, who killed 46-year-old Black man George Floyd. He was tried in the same courtroom as Potter at the Fourth Judicial District Court of Minnesota.
Judge Chu said Wright’s case was one of the saddest she has seen during her post thus far.
“This is one of the saddest cases I’ve had on my 20 years on the bench,” she announced in court. “On the one hand, a young man was killed [and] on the other, a respected 26-year veteran police officer made a tragic error by pulling her handgun instead of her taser.”
She continued, saying that she was “profoundly” moved by the comments of Wright’s family and that he was “very loved.”
Chu also said that his son lost a father and told his parents that she couldn’t begin to understand what it has been like to lose a child.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she told them.
Before Potter’s sentencing, the ex-police officer made a statement apologizing to the Wright family and asked for forgiveness.
“To the family of Daunte Wright…My heart is broken for all of you… I do pray that one day you can find forgiveness.”
The victim’s mother, Katie Wright, gave her tearful statement on the stand, saying she’ll never be able to forgive the ex-officer.
“As if killing him wasn’t enough to dehumanize him, she never once said his name. For that, I’ll never be able to forgive you, and I’ll never be able to forgive you for what you’ve stolen from us,” she said. “I hope you’re listening, and don’t mistake any of my words because we can’t afford the defendant to make any more mistakes.”
Hours after the sentencing, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison released a statement saying he accepted Chu’s judgment and urged everyone else to do the same.
“I accept her judgment. I urge everyone to accept her judgment. I don’t ask you to agree with her decision, which takes nothing away from the truth of the jury’s verdict,” Ellison wrote. “I know it is hurtful to loved ones of Daunte Wright. I ask that we remember the beauty of Daunte Wright, to keep his memory in our hearts, and to know that no number of years in prison could ever capture the wonder of this young man’s life.”
In his statement, he also said Wright’s life mattered and that he was a bright young man with an equally promising future.
“Daunte’s life mattered. He was a son, a father, a brother, a friend. He was a bright young man with big hopes and dreams for himself and Daunte Jr. He should have had his whole life ahead of him to turn those dreams into reality.”
