This archive report was first published on 24 December 2021.
Kim Potter Convicted of Manslaughter in Daunte Wright Shooting ¶
On December 21, 2021, a jury delivered a guilty verdict in the trial of Kimberly Potter, a 49-year-old white former police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on April 11, 2021.
The jury of 12 took 27 hours over four days to reach the unanimous guilty verdicts for Potter, who testified that she had never fired her gun on the police force until the day of the shooting. Potter claimed that she had mistaken her department-issued Glock for her Taser and shot Wright in the chest.
Prosecutors argued that Potter's actions were reckless and that she had knowingly taken a risk of seriously harming Wright, even if she mistakenly thought she was firing her Taser. The prosecution also pointed out that the Police Department's policies warned against using a Taser on someone who is driving a car.
Wright's parents let out cries in the courtroom as the guilty verdicts were read, and several dozen of Wright's supporters celebrated outside of the courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. Wright's mother, Katie Bryant, testified during the trial that her son had called her when he was pulled over, but that the line had gone dead seconds before he began to struggle with the police.
Prosecutors have indicated that they will ask the judge to hand down a longer-than-average prison term, and Potter's lawyers are likely to ask for a sentencing below the standard range. Judge Regina Chu will sentence Potter at a hearing scheduled for February 2022.
The standard sentence range for the more serious charge, first-degree manslaughter, is between about six to eight and a half years in prison, and the maximum penalty is 15 years. The shooting took place during the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who was ultimately convicted of murdering George Floyd, a Black man whose death led to a huge protest movement and heightened scrutiny of police killings.
