Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, showed very little outward emotion Thursday as she was convicted of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.
Potter, 49, stood between her attorneys, who placed their hands on her shoulders, as Judge Regina Chu read the verdict at around 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. When the first verdict was read, Potter blinked her eyes, pursed her lips, and looked down. She had the appearance of someone who perhaps wasn’t surprised by the verdict; she did not seem defiant, but instead appeared resigned to the result.
“In the matter of State of Minnesota versus Kimberly Potter … we the jury on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree, while committing a misdemeanor on or about April 11, 2021, in Hennepin County, state of Minnesota, find the defendant guilty,” Chu said.
Potter reacted similarly when she was convicted of second-degree manslaughter: alternatively looking straight ahead, around the courtroom, and then turning her face downward. Other than occasionally blinking her eyes and pursing her lips, Potter showed little outward emotion.
As Chu polled the jury to confirm the verdict, Potter’s face continued to remain relatively still.
Potter’s relative calm was a contrast from the emotion she showed while testifying during the trial. She broke down in tears on the stand while talking about what she called the “chaotic” events that led to Wright’s death.
Video shown at trial showed Potter reacting with panic and horror after realizing that despite yelling “Taser! Taser!” to subdue Wright, she had actually used her firearm.
“I grabbed the wrong fucking gun!” she screamed. “I shot him! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
Video also showed a sobbing Potter kneeling or lying face down on the grass near where the incident took place, with another officer appearing to try to comfort her. As video also showed, an emotional Potter predicted she we would go to prison.
Potter resigned from the force soon after the shooting.
The jury deliberated for more than 27 hours over four days before reaching both verdicts.
Chu ruled that Potter would be taken into custody immediately. Potter’s lawyers had argued that she be released on bail, saying that she was deeply remorseful and wasn’t a danger to the community. They asked that she be allowed to go be home for Christmas and ahead of sentencing.
Chu denied the request, saying: “I cannot treat this case any differently than any other case.”
Watch the video above.
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