Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter was found guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter Thursday in the death of Daunte Wright.
She was taken into custody and will be held without bail, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu ruled.
“Love you, Kim,” a man was heard saying in the courtroom as Potter handed herself over to deputies.
BREAKING: Kim Potter has been found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright. pic.twitter.com/DcBG5M49J7
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) December 23, 2021
Potter joins Derek Chauvin and Mohamed Noor as the third Minnesota police officer to be convicted of killing someone in the line of duty.
The jury received the case on Monday afternoon and had shown some signs of disagreement, asking the judge what would happen if they couldn’t reach a verdict. The jury reached a consensus on second-degree manslaughter on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. but didn’t reach a verdict on the first-degree charge until Thursday at 11:40 a.m.
Potter shot Daunte Wright during an April 11 traffic stop when she grabbed her firearm instead of her Taser. She testified in her own defense and repeatedly broke down on the stand, saying she didn’t want to hurt anybody. Potter was a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department.
She will be sentenced in late February.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
