(Minneapolis, MN) — Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter has been sentenced to 16 months in prison and eight months supervised release for killing an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop. Potter always maintained she shot Daunte Wright by accident when he resisted arrest, mistaking her service weapon for her Taser. Prosecutors wanted at least seven years. Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter in a trial in December.
The judge called this a tragic case, and noted the prosecutors did not prove aggravating factors in the case. Judge Regina Chu called this case “highly unusual” and added she believes Potter “made a tragic mistake,” but did not have animosity toward Wright.