The former Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright, a Black man she pulled over in a traffic-stop-turned-arrest, is set to be released from prison Monday after she served 16 months of a two-year sentence.
Kim Potter, who yelled “Taser” when she claimed she mistook her gun for a stunning device, was convicted of manslaughter in the April 2021 shooting in Hennepin County. Minnesota Department of Corrections records show her anticipated release date is April 24.
“Our criminal investigative analysts are working closely with law enforcement to monitor the situation to ensure Kim Potter, like all incarcerated persons, is safe as she leaves our facility,” spokesperson Andy Skoogman said in a statement.
Skoogman said Potter will be on supervised release until Dec. 21.
Potter was expected to serve 16 months of the sentence, according to Judge Regina Chu at Potter’s sentencing in February 2022. Chu opted for a lighter sentence than the maximum 15 years.
Wright’s family criticized Potter’s sentence
Wright’s family members and civil rights leaders said at the time they were “very disappointed” in the sentence and called it a “slap on the wrist.”
“Today, the justice system murdered him all over again,” said Katie Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother. “This isn’t OK. This is the problem with our justice system today. White women tears trumps justice.”
PREVIOUSLY:Family ‘hurt’ after Kim Potter sentenced to 2 years in Daunte Wright’s manslaughter
Judge said Potter was ‘a cop who made a tragic mistake’
Potter fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old father, around the time Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin was on trial for murdering George Floyd in 2021. Chu referenced Chauvin in explaining the lighter sentence: “This is not a cop found guilty of murder for using his knee to pin down a person for nine-and-a-half minutes as he gasped for air.”
Potter was “a cop who made a tragic mistake,” Chu said.
Potter and another officer said they pulled Wright over because he had a blinker on in the wrong turn lane, expired tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.
The officers then learned Wright had an unrelated warrant for arrest and attempted to detain him. During a struggle, Potter shot Wright, who drove down the street and crashed into another car, injuring others.
Potter said during her trial that she made a mistake when she used her gun instead of a Taser, and apologized, but her defense attorneys defended her use of force.
TRAFFIC STOPS TURNING DEADLY:Tyre Nichols’ death is the latest example, experts say
Traffic stops under scrutiny
Some cities have since passed measures directing police to end traffic stops for low-level offenses like improperly placed license plates or single broken brake lights in the wake of more traffic stops that turned deadly, particularly involving Black people.
Councilmembers in Memphis were the latest to pass an ordinance after the brutal beating death of Tyre Nichols earlier this year.
Contributing: Grace Hauck; The Associated Press
USA TODAY
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