Former Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter has been found guilty on all charges in relation to the Daunte Wright case. Back on April 20th of 2021, Potter pulled over Wright in a routine traffic stop. He’d made an improper turn signal, had expired tags, and had an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. These are all violations. Upon further examination, it was determined that Daunte Wright had a warrant for his arrest. The charges on that warrant relate to an aggravated armed robbery that he allegedly took part in. Kim Potter attempted to arrest Daunte Wright upon learning this information, but Wright resisted. On body camera footage, Potter declared that she was deploying her taser. She instead pulled her service pistol out of its holster then shot and killed Wright.
Kim Potter admitted to the tragic taser/gun mixup mistake in court. There were several outbursts of crying during her testimony. She was contrite and remorseful. Although this was clearly an accident, there still must be someone or something held responsible. Potter was a 26-year veteran of the force with 1600 hours of training on a taser. She was not impaired or under the influence. Not much could have been done to avoid this tragic mistake other than Potter simply not making it. The jury ultimately felt like this is something that could have been avoided and it was negligent to the point of criminal action.
Another way to view this is from a civil liability perspective in which Daunte Wright’s family would get a large payout from the city and/or state. It looks like both the civil and criminal penalties will be maximized in this case. The jury was serious and took all factors into consideration. But it is hard to minimize the court of public opinion and all of the media coverage this case received before going to trial. Then there is the lack of a proper argument from Potter’s attorney to break the law down in regards to civil vs criminal penalties.
SOURCES:
Kim Potter, ex-Minnesota officer, found guilty of manslaughter in death of Daunte Wright
New video of ex-cop fatally shooting Daunte Wright shown in court l GMA – YouTube
Kim Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright’s death | AP News
Live updates: Kim Potter found guilty in Daunte Wright shooting
Ex-police officer Kim Potter found guilty in shooting of Daunte Wright
Daunte Wright Case: Kim Potter is Convicted on Two Charges of Manslaughter – The New York Times
Kim Potter trial: Ex-officer found guilty of two counts of manslaughter for fatally shooting Daunte Wright – CNN
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