Wright was killed on April 11, 2021, after he was pulled over for expired license tags just miles from where George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. The 20-year-old had an open arrest warrant for failure to appear on a weapons charge.
While attempting to arrest Wright, Potter drew her firearm instead of her stun gun as he allegedly tried to flee. In body camera footage, Potter is heard shouting “I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before opening fire.
“I grabbed the wrong f***ing gun,” she said.
Potter was convicted of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in Wright’s killing. However, Judge Regina Chu sentenced the ex-cop significantly below the state-recommended minimum, citing that Potter was clearly remorseful.
During the sentencing hearing, Wright’s family gave emotional testimonies in the wake of his death.
“Daunte’s life was cut short by Kim Potter, who claims she thought she had a Taser. She pointed a gun into my son’s chest, pulled the trigger, not only killing Daunte by damaging his heart to the point of unrepairable… but she also damaged my whole family’s heart. Nothing will ever be the same,” Arbuey Wright said at the time.
Following her release from prison, Potter is expected to serve an additional eight months on supervised release.
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