The former Minnesota cop who claims she mistook her gun for her Taser when she shot and killed Daunte Wright in suburban Minneapolis has been found guilty.
The jurors deliberated for 27 hours before finding ex-cop Kim Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. CNN reported that Wright’s mother, Katie Bryant, let out an audible cry when the verdict was read as Wright’s father, Aubrey Wright, comforted her.
Wright, 20, was pulled over by other officers on April 11, 2021, for expired tags and an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror, which is a violation of the law, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, just a few miles from where George Floyd was infamously killed by convicted murderer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis on Memorial Day 2020.
Potter was soon on the scene after officers discovered that Wright had an arrest warrant. When law enforcement tried to apprehend Wright, he wiggled away got back in his car and was about to take off.
That’s when Potter can be heard yelling on the bodycam, “Taser! Taser! Taser!” But Potter had her service firearm in her hand and pulled the trigger, striking Wright and killing him as he managed to drive a short distance down the street.
Potter, 49, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 18, 2022. She faces up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use or handling of a firearm. However, according to CNN, since Potter has no criminal history, she may receive a prison sentence of between six to nine years.
On the second-degree manslaughter charge, Potter may be sentenced to approximately three years according to the same guidelines.
