Former Minnesota police officer, Kim Potter, who shot Daunte Wright after mistaking her gun for a Taser, has been sentenced to two years in prison.
A Minnesota jury in December found the 49-year-old guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April shooting in Brooklyn Center.
USA Today reports that the first-degree manslaughter charge carried a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine and a presumptive sentence of six to eight-and-a-half years.
But Hennepin County District Court Judge Regina Chu opted to give Potter a lighter sentence than recommended by state sentencing guidelines.
Potter, who has already served 58 days, is expected to serve 16 months in prison and a third of her sentence on supervised release.
Meanwhile, Katie Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, who expressed disappointment in the ruling said; “Today, the justice system murdered him all over again,” Wright said. “This isn’t okay. This is the problem with our justice system today. White women tears trumps justice.”
On the 11th of April, 2021, 20-year-old Wright was pulled over for expired plates.
Unfortunately for him, he also had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out for his arrest.
While attempting to take him into custody, he escaped their grasp and managed to get back into the driver’s seat of his vehicle.
Footage from Potter’s bodycam then shows the officer yelling “Taser, Taser” before she shot Wright, who was Black, with her firearm.
Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu said a suspect without criminal history, like Potter, would typically get a sentence between just more than six years to about 8 1/2 years in prison, with the presumptive sentence being just over seven years.
“Of all the jobs in public service, police officers have the most difficult one. They must make snap decisions under tense evolving and ever-changing circumstances. They risk their lives every single day in public service. Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically,” Chu said, pausing to maintain her composure.
“She never intended to hurt anyone. Her conduct cries out for a sentence significantly below the guidelines”.
