Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who was sentenced to two years in prison for the accidental killing of Daunte Wright after mistaking her gun for a Taser, will be released from prison after a 16-month sentence.
(Video Credit: FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul)
Potter does not resemble the woman she was at all before entering prison after being sentenced on April 11, 2020. She is rail thin and has aged far beyond her years over the tragedy. The former officer is 50 but appears much older and frailer than that now.
She served her sentence at Shakopee Minnesota Correctional Facility and will now finish out her last eight months on probation beginning on Monday, according to the Daily Mail.
The 26-year police veteran claims that she shot Wright by accident when she reached for her taser and pulled her gun instead during a traffic stop over expired plates in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Wright resisted arrest and tried to flee the scene, ending in the tragedy that occurred that day. He had an open arrest warrant for failure to appear on a weapons charge as well.
The mother of two had a spotless record when the tragic mistake ruined her career and cost Wright his life.
The former officer was convicted of first and second-degree manslaughter in February 2022. She was given a sentence that was significantly lower than the recommended seven years and the fifteen-year maximum the state of Minnesota allows for first-degree manslaughter. She wept bitterly during testimony.
Did a double take when I saw #KimPotter new DOC photo. Potter set to be released Monday from MCF-Shakopee after spending 16 mos in prison for traffic stop shooting of Daunte Wright. Remainder of her 2-year manslaughter sentence to be served on supervised release. @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/3dHjSXI0Yr
— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) April 20, 2023
(Video Credit: NBC News)
Potter can be seen in bodycam footage yelling, “I’ll tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!”
She can then be seen firing her gun and then screaming, “I grabbed the wrong f****** gun.” She fell to the curb sobbing and shouting, “I shot him! Oh my God!”
Judge Regina Chu took pity on Potter during her sentencing after she wept while telling Wright’s family how sorry she was for what she had done. The judge noted her guilt and called the shooting an accident.
“She never intended to hurt anyone. Her conduct cries out for a sentence significantly below the guidelines,” Chu stated in court.
Potter said to Wright’s family, “To the family of Daunte Wright. I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father brother uncle, and the rest of your family. To your mom Katie, I understand a mother’s love and I am sorry I broke your heart. My heart is broken for all of you.”
(Video Credit: ABC News)
Wright’s mother told Potter she would “never forgive” her and asked the judge to throw the book at her.
“She left our world with so much darkness and heartache. The best way I can explain is that I feel a sinking feeling every day that a mother gets when she realizes her kid is missing in a grocery store and you can’t see him, feel him, know if he’s safe. Daunte was only 20. He had so much of his life ahead of him. She took our baby boy with a single gunshot through the heart and she shattered mine. She took his future,” the mother proclaimed.
Kim Potter’s conviction is in the running for the worst miscarriage of justice we’ve seen this century. Daunte Wright was a violent criminal scumbag who robbed a woman at gun point, among other violent crimes, and then got shot while fighting the police. His death was his own… https://t.co/70lxE6I9Eb
— The Honorable Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 20, 2023
The mother said to Potter, “For that, I will never be able to forgive you. I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us.”
Following the trial in 2022 and Potter’s sentencing, the courtroom exploded and got violent with Wright’s sister winding up in handcuffs and being arrested.
Last summer, the City of Brooklyn Center approved a $3.25 million settlement for Wright’s family as a result of the shooting. Wright’s son will receive most of the settlement, according to FOX9.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.