Kim Potter, who is a former Minnesota police officer, was charged today. Potter was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter after fatally shooting Daunte Wright.
Potter killed Wright back in April of 2021 during a traffic stop. Potter claimed she meant to fire her Taser but instead fired her gun.
Wright’s family was represented by civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump, Antonio Romanucci, and Jeff Storms who released the following on the verdict:
“The family of Daunte Wright is relieved that the justice system has provided some measure of accountability for the senseless death of their son, brother, father and friend. From the unnecessary and overreaching tragic traffic stop to the shooting that took his life, that day will remain a traumatic one for this family and yet another example for America of why we desperately need change in policing, training and protocols. If we are ever going to restore the confidence of Black and marginalized Americans in law enforcement, we need to have accountability and a commitment to listening and to creating meaningful change. We must now turn our attention to ensuring that Kim Potter receives the strongest and most just sentence possible. It is also imperative that we focus on the conduct of Brooklyn Center and pinpoint its systemic failures that contributed to Daunte’s unlawful death.”
Despite being charged today, Potter has no criminal history which means the Minnesota sentencing guidelines will have a recommendation of sentencing for the ex-cop. The recommendation could roughly be between six and eight and a half years in prison — the maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter on reckless use/handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison. Also, the charge could be a $30,000 fine.
