MINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota judge in the sentencing of Kim Potter, a former police officer found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of Daunte Wright, appeared to get emotional after handing down a two-year sentence — which she called "an extremely difficult decision."Potter was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 killing of Wright, a 20-year-old Black driver.
Potter, who said she confused her handgun for her Taser in the shooting, was sentenced Friday and received a penalty below state guidelines after the judge found mitigating factors warranted a lesser sentence."This is one of the saddest cases I’ve had in my 20 years on the bench," Judge Regina Chu said during the sentencing. "On the one hand, a young man was killed.
And on the other, a respected, 26-year veteran police officer made a tragic error by pulling her handgun instead of her taser."Chu said the lesser sentence was warranted because Potter was "in the line of duty and doing her job in attempting to lawfully arrest Daunte Wright." Minnesota state sentencing guidelines called for a sentence of 86 months in prison, or just over seven years for someone who has no criminal record.
Potter’s legal team asked Chu for probation. Ultimately, Potter was sentenced to a total sentence of 24 months, with 16 months served in prison, and the remaining on supervised release.