Kimberly Potter was sentenced to 24 months in prison for manslaughter after she accidentally killed Daunte Wright as a former Minnesota police officer.
Potter, 49, a former member of the police force who served for more than 25-years, shot Wright dead in April 2013 at a Minneapolis suburb traffic stop.
A video of the incident shows Potter, who was training another officer working that day, yelling the word “Taser” multiple times before shooting Wright with her handgun. “I grabbed the wrong f**king gun, and I shot him,” she was filmed saying.
In December, the former officer of police was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Potter will be serving 16 months of his 24-month sentence in jail and will remain on supervision release the remaining time.
Before her sentencing at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Potter, who is the mother of two sons, addressed the Wright family, in particular, Daunte’s mother.
“Katie, I understand a mother’s love, and I am sorry I broke your heart. All of you are in my heart.,” she said.
The victim’s mother, however, pleaded with judge Regina Chu to hand Potter the longest jail term possible.
“I’m asking you to hold the defendant to the highest accountability,” Katie Wright told the judge, adding that she would never forgive Potter.
Chu, also emotional, confessed that Wright’s case had been “one of the saddest cases”Her 20-year career.
“Everyone agrees that Officer Potter did not intend to fire her weapon.” Chu said, explaining the sentence, which was much shorter than the seven years requested earlier this month by the Minnesota Attorney General’s office.
This tragedy occurred during Derek Chauvin’s trial for George Floyd’s death, a case that led to months of riots in the USA and around the globe.
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