Earlier this year, activists demanded justice after 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop. It was reportedly learned that Wright had an outstanding warrant and during the arrest, he briefly struggled with the officers. Officer Kim Potter, 49, shot Wright at close range, and later, it was stated that she meant to reach for her Taser but instead pulled out her gun.
Potter’s trial has come to an end today (December 23) after she was convicted on all charges including first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter. She was immediately taken into custody and is reportedly being held without bail until her sentencing in February.
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“We have a degree of accountability for Daunte’s death,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. “Accountability is not justice. … Justice is beyond the reach that we have in this life for Daunte. But accountability is an important step, a critical, necessary step on the road to justice for us all.”
NBC News reported:
The prosecution played video from Potter’s body camera for jurors, showing how she had the Glock in her hand for at least five seconds before she fired the deadly round.
The Glock used to kill Wright weighed 2.11 pounds, compared to the 0.94-pound Taser, which emanates light and needed a safety switch to be pulled before it could be used, prosecutors said.
During the trial, defense attorney Earl Gray reportedly told the judge, “She’s not going to run. She’s obviously, she’s not going to commit any more crimes. She’s been convicted of an accident. She’s been convicted of being reckless.”
Potter faces upwards of 15 years in prison.
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