'Say his name': Cop who killed Daunte Wright sentenced to 2 years

The former suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she fatally shot Daunte Wright was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, a penalty below state guidelines after the judge found mitigating factors warranted a lesser sentence. Mr. Wright’s family denounced the sentence as too lenient and accused the judge of being taken in by a “white woman’s tears.”

Kim Potter was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 killing of Mr. Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist. She was sentenced only on the more serious charge in accordance with state law.

For someone with no criminal history, such as Ms. Potter, the state guidelines on that charge range from slightly more than six years to about 8 1/2 years in prison, with the presumptive sentence being just over seven years.

Prosecutors said the presumptive sentence was proper, but defense attorneys asked for a sentence below the guidelines, including a sentence of probation only.

Judge Regina Chu imposed the sentence after hearing from Mr. Wright’s family and Ms. Potter.

Mr. Wright’s mother said she will never be able to forgive Ms. Potter and would only refer to her as “the defendant” because Ms. Potter only referred to her 20-year-old son as “the driver” at trial.

“She never once said his name. And for that I’ll never be able to forgive you. And I’ll never be able to forgive you for what you’ve stolen from us,” a tearful Ms. Wright said.

“A police officer who was supposed to serve and protect so much took so much away from us. ... My life and my world will never ever be the same again,” she said, adding later: “Daunte Demetrius Wright, I will continue to fight in your name until driving while Black is no longer a death sentence.”

Ms. Potter offered an apology to Wright’s family, then spoke directly to his mother: “Katie, I understand a mother’s love. I’m sorry I broke your heart ... my heart is broken and devastated for all of you.”

Mr. Wright was killed after Brooklyn Center officers pulled him over for having expired license tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. The shooting, which came in the midst of Derek Chauvin’s trial on murder charges in George Floyd’s killing, sparked several days of demonstrations outside the Brooklyn Center police station marked by tear gas and clashes between protesters and police.

The judge, who imposed a sentence below state guidelines, called it “one of the saddest cases I’ve had on my 20 years on the bench.” Judge Regina Chu said she received “hundred and hundreds” of letters in support of Potter. “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.”

Ms. Chu said the lesser sentence was warranted because Ms. Potter was “in the line of duty and doing her job in attempting to lawfully arrest Daunte Wright,” and Ms. Potter was trying to protect another officer who could have been dragged and seriously injured if Mr. Wright drove away.

Ms. Potter was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 killing. She’ll be sentenced only on the most serious charge of first-degree manslaughter, which carries a presumptive penalty of just over seven years in prison.

Prosecutor Matt Frank said Friday that he believed the presumptive sentence is appropriate, given the loss of life and Ms. Potter’s culpable negligence.

“His life mattered, and that life was taken,” Mr. Frank said. “His name is Daunte Wright. We have to say his name. He was not just a driver. He was a living human being. A life.”

Defense attorney Paul Engh told the judge that Mr. Wright’s death was “beyond tragic for everybody involved.” But, he added: “This was an unintentional crime. It was an accident. It was a mistake.”

Mr. Engh held up a box displaying what he said were among “thousands” of letters and cards of support for Ms. Potter.

“People took the time to write her,” Mr. Engh said. “This is unheard of for a defendant. I dare say no one in this room has ever seen anything like this.”

He urged the judge to sentence Ms. Potter to probation, saying sentencing guidelines are often not followed because they are too high for many defendants, including first-time offenders. He said Ms. Potter would be willing to meet with Mr. Wright’s family and to speak to police officers about Taser mixups.

If Ms. Potter is not sentenced to probation, then she should get a lower-than-usual sentence because Mr. Wright was the aggressor, Mr. Engh said.

The testimony of other officers on the scene showed it was a dangerous situation because Mr. Wright was attempting to drive away, he said.

“This was an aggressive act. I don’t know how it couldn’t be an aggressive act,” said Mr. Engh, who also said Ms. Potter had the right to defend other officers and that she never should have been charged with first-degree manslaughter.

Evidence at Ms. Potter’s trial showed officers learned he had an outstanding warrant for a weapons possession charge and they tried to arrest him when he pulled away. Video showed Ms. Potter shouted several times that she was going to use her Taser on Mr. Wright, but she had her gun in her hand and fired one shot into his chest.

Ms. Chu said Potter will serve two-thirds of her sentence, or 16 months in prison, with the rest on parole. She has earned credit for 58 days.

Ms. Potter has been at the state’s women’s prison in Shakopee since the guilty verdict. Her attorney said Friday that her mental and physical health has declined because she is isolated for her safety.

Mr. Wright’s father and siblings also addressed the court to speak of their loss.

The mother of Mr. Wright's son, Chyna Whitaker, said Friday that Mr. Wright would never have a chance to play ball with his son, or see him go to school.

“My son shouldn’t have to wear a ‘rest in peace’ shirt of his dad,” Ms. Whitaker said.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.