A judge on Friday sentenced Kim Potter, the former police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, to 16 months of jail time followed by eight months of supervised release for manslaughter convictions.
The imprisonment is far less than the standard of roughly seven years for manslaughter crimes after the judge said leniency was warranted to the suspect because she meant to fire her Taser and not her gun.
Kim Potter's Conviction
Jurors in Potter's case convicted the former officer on two counts of manslaughter in December after they found that she had acted recklessly when she fired a bullet in Wright's chest. The situation came after a warning she was going to stun him and yell: "Taser! Taser! Taser!"
The 49-year-old White woman served on the police force in Brooklyn Center, Minn., and resigned two days after Wright's fatal shooting in April. The 20-year-old Black man's death resulted in chaotic protests calling for justice and resulted in the ex-cop being imprisoned since Dec. 23, as per the New York Times.
In accordance with Minnesota law, Judge Regina M. Chu sentenced Potter on only the most serious count, first-degree manslaughter. The felony count has a presumptive punishment of a little more than seven years in prison under the state's sentencing guidelines with a maximum of 15 years imprisonment.
However, Judge Chu said that the former police officer's case was far different from most manslaughter cases and other high-profile police killings. She said that Potter was not an officer who knelt on a person's neck for nearly 10 minutes while the victim gasped for air, referencing Derek Chauvin and the death of George Floyd. Chu said that Potter drew her firearm thinking it was her taser by mistake.
Daunte Wright's Death
Fox News reported that the judge added that the ex-cop served her community for 26 years and that hundreds of letters portrayed her as a woman who touched a lot of people in a good way. Chu said that in the courtroom, Potter could clearly be seen as remorseful for what she had done. The ex-cop said she never intended to hurt anyone and Chu argued that the convict's conduct should result in a sentence significantly below the guidelines.
On top of the 16 months imprisonment and eight months supervised release, Judge Chu fined Potter $1,000 for the case. The judge said that she was aware there would be people who do not agree with her sentencing. However, she argued that while she gave Potter a lower jail time, it, in no way, diminished Daunte Wright's life.
Chu said that while the victim's life mattered, she urged those who disagreed with her decision to try to empathize with Potter, as difficult as that may be. The judge said that Potter's case was one of the saddest that she has had in her 20 years on the bench.
Authorities will also be taking out $78 from Potter's prison wages as part of the conviction and she already has a credit of 58 days served in jail while awaiting sentencing. In comparison, the maximum fine for first-degree manslaughter is $30,000, ABC News reported.
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