NewsCovering the Nation

Actions

Kim Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright's death

Daunte Wright Officer Trial
Posted at 8:53 AM, Dec 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-23 17:02:30-05

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jurors have convicted a suburban Minneapolis police officer of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Black motorist Daunte Wright.

The jury deliberated for about four days before finding Kim Potter guilty of both counts on Thursday.

Potter, who is white, was a Brooklyn Center police officer when she shot and killed the 20-year-old Wright during an April 11 traffic stop.

Potter has said she mistook her handgun for a Taser while she and other officers were trying to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant for a weapons possession charge.

She faces about seven years in prison on the most serious count under the state’s sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors said they’d seek a longer-term.