Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center Police Officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Potter will only serve 16 months in prison and the remaining eight months on supervised release.
Judge Regina Chu acknowledged the sentence was a “significant downward departure” from the sentencing guidelines.
So, about those sentencing guidelines…
The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine and for second-degree manslaughter — 10 years and a $20,000 fine.
Chu claims she’s read “hundreds” of letters in support of Kim Potter.
This is one of the saddest cases I have had in my 20 years on the bench.
Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone.
Before the sentencing, Daunte Wright’s mother, Katie Ann Wright asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence.
She also addressed Potter saying:
I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us.
You took his future.
My life and my world will never be the same.
How do you show remorse when you smile in your mug shot after being sentenced to manslaughter, after taking my son’s life?
Watch the video of the statement below.
Kim Potter, who was convicted of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11, 2021 shooting, also addressed the court before her sentencing.
Watch the video below.
I am thoroughly disgusted and my heart breaks for the Wright family.
This is not a sentence – it’s a time out and Judge Chu should be ashamed of herself!
Source: ABC News
