A jury found Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who said she accidentally shot a young black man when she mistook her gun for her Taser, guilty on two manslaughter charges Thursday.
Potter, 49, faced two charges in the killing of Daunte Wright, 20, in April. The first was one count of first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless handling of a firearm, and the second was second-degree manslaughter.
She faces up to 15 years in prison for the first charge and 10 years for the second and up to a $50,000 fine, and the prosecution asked the judge to impose a stricter sentence if convicted.
DEFENSE RESTS AFTER EMOTIONAL KIM POTTER TESTIFIES IN TRIAL OVER DAUNTE WRIGHT'S DEATH
Jurors, who deliberated for three days following the nearly two-week trial, were tasked with deciding whether Potter drew the wrong weapon as a result of an accident or negligence and recklessness and if the use of any weapon was warranted in the situation.
The body camera and car camera footage of the incident showed that the police veteran drew her gun while she was repeatedly yelling, “Taser.” The trial was not to prove intent, as authorities involved in the case agreed that the video showed the killing was unintentional.
The defense argued that Potter drew the weapon because she was attempting to prevent Wright from fleeing in his car with another officer, Sgt. Mychal Johnson, halfway inside. The prosecution argued that it was not appropriate to draw her weapon if the car was not yet moving, unequivocally showing Wright was attempting escape.
Emotions ran high with Potter sobbing while she testified in her own defense. She said many times she was sorry for what had happened and that she didn’t mean to kill anyone. Wright's parents both gave emotional testimony about their son.
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Potter and her partner pulled over Wright's car for a routine traffic stop when they noticed expired tags and an object hanging from the rearview mirror. Upon inspection, they found there was a warrant out for his arrest, as well as a smell of marijuana in the car, which was not registered to him. He tried to escape when they attempted to arrest him, leading to the fatal shooting.
The shooting took place less than a year after the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in the same courtroom where Potter was tried. Wright’s death sparked another round of protests in the Twin City area.