Judge Regina Chu
Former Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter on Friday was sentenced to 16 months in prison and 8 months supervised release for killing Daunte Wright during a traffic stop.
Kim Potter, the Brooklyn Center police officer who fatally shot black motorist Daunte Wright during a traffic stop was arrested and charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter last April.
Bodycam footage released last April showed that Daunte Wright resisted arrest and fled the scene.
Police were in the process of cuffing Wright when he broke free and jumped in his car.
Officer Kim Potter screamed, “Taser! Taser! Taser!” before she discharged her weapon.
Wright crashed his car after he tried to flee the scene.
After 26 hours of deliberations, a Minneapolis jury found the former Minnesota police officer guilty on both charges.
Potter faced up to 15 years in prison, however Judge Regina Chu on Friday sentenced Potter to 24 months – 16 months in prison, 8 months of supervised released and a $1,000 fine for the manslaughter charge.
“I recognize there will be those who disagree with the sentence. That I granted a significant downward departure does not in any way diminish Daunte Wright’s life. His life mattered. And to those who disagree and feel a longer prison sentence is appropriate, as difficult as it may be, please try to empathize with Ms. Potter’s situation,” Judge Regina Chu said.
Judge Chu got emotional as she talked about police officers risking their lives everyday.
“Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically. She never intended to hurt anyone,” Chu said.
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ABC News reported:
Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter was sentenced to 24 months and a fine of $1,000 on Friday following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
Potter will serve 16 months in prison and the remaining eight months on supervised release, a sentence far below what the prosecution sought. Judge Regina Chu acknowledged the sentence was a “significant downward departure” from sentencing guidelines.
Chu said she received “hundreds” of letters in support of Potter, all of which she said she had read.
“This is one of the saddest cases I have had in my 20 years on the bench,” Chu said when delivering the sentence. “Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone.”
A surcharge of $78 will also be taken out of Potter’s prison wages. She already has a credit of 58 days served in jail while awaiting sentencing.
Aubrey Wright, Daunte Wright’s father, was angry with Judge Chu’s decision to give Kim Potter a lighter sentence than what was recommended.
“I walk out of this courthouse feeling like people are laughing at us because this lady got a slap on the wrist and every night we are still waiting around crying, waiting for my son to come home,” he said.
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