A judge on Friday sentenced former Minneapolis-area police officer Kim Potter to two years in prison for killing motorist Daunte Wright during a traffic stop that turned into an arrest last April.
Potter, a former officer on the force in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, is expected to serve a little more than half of the sentence in prison and the rest under supervised release. She was given 58 days credit for time already served, which is subtracted from the sentence.
Potter was convicted in December on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter in Wright’s death. She argued at trial that she intended to subdue Wright with a stun gun, but mistakenly pulled her firearm during the arrest.
Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu called Potter’s one of the saddest cases she’s seen.
“Kimberly Potter did not abuse her position of authority. It is undisputed that officer Potter was in the line of duty, and doing her job in attempting to lawfully arrest Daunte Wright on the warrant when she drew her taser. There is no question that Ms. Potter is extremely resourceful,” Chu said during the sentencing.
“Kimberly Potter does not present a danger of future crimes.”
The judge’s ruling falls toward the low end of the sentencing guidelines. Potter could have faced 15 years in prison on the first-degree charge alone.
Potter apologized to Wright’s family during Friday’s hearing.
“To the family of Daunte Wright, I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father, brother, uncle, grandson, nephew and the rest of your family, to your home,” she told the court, according to CNN.
Aubrey Wright and Katie Wright speak during the funeral for their son Daunte Wright at Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 22, 2021. File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI
A number of Wright’s family members addressed the court ahead of Chu’s ruling.
“[Potter] pointed a gun into my son’s chest, pulled the trigger, not only killing Daunte by damaging his heart to the point of unrepairable … but she also damaged my whole family’s heart,” father Arbuey Wright said, according to CNN. “Nothing will ever be the same.”
“Kim Potter took my son’s best friend away from him and things haven’t been the same since. I am now a single mother, not by choice, by force,” Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Wright’s child, said in her impact statement.
At the hearing, defense attorney Paul Engh read aloud from letters voicing support for Potter.
“I had never witnessed officer Potter mistreat, disrespect or use force on any individual. She was nothing but professional, helpful and caring,” wrote an emergency medical technician, he said.
Potter and an officer trainee pulled Wright over for an expired registration on his vehicle and an air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror. The other officer, Anthony Luckey, attempted to arrest Wright on an outstanding firearms warrant, at which point Wright attempted to re-enter his vehicle. Potter yelled “Taser, Taser, Taser,” and shot Wright with her firearm.
Potter took the stand in her own defense and said she mistakenly grabbed the firearm rather than her stun gun.
Prosecutors, however, argued that her mistake was criminal.
Wright’s family said after her conviction in December that they were satisfied with the outcome.
Copyright 2022 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.
Daunte Wright sure lived up to his name origin, and lived to die of his own stupidity where Daunte Wright created the own situation of his Daunte wrongs, that itself alone, led to the situations of his own death for a now Dauntless world that no longer beholds him, when the Daunte meets the Dauntless Police not afraid to withstand his crimes. Apparently, the only thing his failed parents did right in raising him was to name him appropriately.
DAUNT:
1. make (someone) feel intimidated or apprehensive.
DAUNTLESS:
1. showing fearlessness and determination.
“dauntless bravery”
“Daunte Wright had multiple criminal charges on his record when he was pulled over and fatally shot by police. Wright, the 20-year-old black man who was shot by in an apparent accidental discharge, had previously been charged with first-degree aggravated robbery, fleeing from police, and possession of a handgun without a permit.”
Lib Prosecutors never give a cop an even break.
Daunte Wright wan nothing but a low life criminal. If Wright would not have resisted arrest, he would be alive today. Secondly, officer Potter made an innocent mistake and as a result she has no business being sent to prison. Potter is a political sacrificial lamb for the political elitists.
AND NOTE, SHE wasn’t even allowed any bail. YET SOMEONE WHO FLAT OUT TRIED To murder a sitting politician, gets let out and PAID FOR BY BLM!>..
That proves there’s at LEAST 3 tiers of justice in this nation.. ONE IF you are black. ONE if you are a libtard politician, and one for everyone else.
Part 1—I read this—the judge’s remarks—the family’s remarls—what a load of misjudgment and mischaracterization.
“Kimberly Potter did not abuse her position of authority. It is undisputed that officer Potter was in the line of duty, and doing her job in attempting to lawfully arrest Daunte Wright on the warrant when she drew her taser. There is no question that Ms. Potter is extremely resourceful (remorseful),” Chu said during the sentencing.”
“Kimberly Potter does not present a danger of future crimes.”
“[Potter] pointed a gun into my son’s chest, pulled the trigger, not only killing Daunte by damaging his heart to the point of unrepairable … but she also damaged my whole family’s heart,” father Arbuey Wright said, according to CNN. “Nothing will ever be the same.”
“Kim Potter took my son’s best friend away from him and things haven’t been the same since. I am now a single mother, not by choice, by force,” Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Wright’s child, said in her impact statement.”
Part 2—“Prosecutors, however, argued that her mistake was criminal.” No—the criminal is the one not getting any mention other than to rev up emotion.
So, the judge sees Potter as an honorable officer and not presenting a danger of further “crimes”. Officer Potter and her partner pulled Wright over on a traffic stop at which time they discovered an outstanding warrant on him. In their attempt to arrest him, he becomes belligerent and uncooperative—resulting in his unintentionally being shot. The officer is brought up on charges—convicted—and sentenced—disparaged and made out to be another White cop out of control looking for opportunities to kill Blacks. It appears that Wright’s misdeeds aren’t given much consideration—certainly not by his family—to them, it’s all about emotion and their grief—which is perfectly understandable since they lost a member of their family—but the cause of that is being downplayed.
I guess the judge felt that she had to pacify the family, but sentencing this officer is a travesty of justice—but this case exemplifies the signs of the times. It’s just plain wrong.
If his great great grandfather who he never knew hadn’t been chased down by his fellow African and sold it would have never happened. Lay the blame on those it belongs to dauntes death was his own doing just like George Floyd and all the rest whose families continue to blame others for the poor upbringing they provided to their offspring. Accidents are just that accidents unless a black is hurt or killed and then it’s a crime.
EXACTLy. WHITES wouldn’t have had slaves to use, HAD THEIR OWN TRIBESMEN HAD NOT SOLD THEM into slavery!
As far back as we can go in recorded history, there have been slaves. All over the world, all races, and they exist even today. Most of the blacks and those who identify as black do not have slaves as ancestors. The ancestors of Kackles the clown were slave traders. For the most part, except in Moslem countries, actual slavery no longer exists.
AND note, which nations, slavery STILL IS GOING On strong in.. MOSTLY AFRICA!!!
Now this judge should be on the supreme court.
THIS judge, imo shouldn’t even be judging PAGEANTS. Let alone the law.