Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April when she mistook her service weapon for a Taser, was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the young Black man’s death, multiple news outlets reported Thursday.
Potter had pleaded not guilty and claimed the shooting was an accident, saying she mistakenly grabbed her firearm instead of her Taser stun gun. During deliberation, her attorneys characterized the shooting as an honest mistake, not a crime. But jurors sided with prosecutors, who described Potter’s actions as a tragic blunder born of recklessness or negligence.
The guilty verdict came after jurors deliberated about 27 hours, according to CNN. Potter, who displayed no emotion as the verdicts were read, was ordered held without bail.
The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/ handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison. Since Potter, 49, has no criminal history, Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence roughly between 6 and 8.5 years in prison.
