Ex-cop Kim Potter is released from prison
The former cop who shot Duante Wright after mistaking her gun for a taser has been released from prison after 16 months.
Kim Potter, 50, was released from Shakopee Minnesota Correctional Facility in the early hours of Monday to begin eight months of probation.
It comes three years after she accidentally shot and killed 20-year-old black man Daunte when she mistook her taser for her gun during a traffic stop on April 11, 2020.
She was convicted of first and second degree manslaughter. The victim’s relatives rejected the decision to release her, saying she left the family “cursed forever.”
Meanwhile, the former cop was seen looking thin and frail in a newly released mugshot, sporting gray hair in stark contrast to her smiling 2021 photo.
Kim Potter was seen in a recent mugshot looking frail and gaunt over a year after she sobbed during her sentencing trial for Daunte Wright’s death on April 11, 2020
Potter shot and killed Wright (pictured) when she mistook her taser for her handgun. At the time of the shooting, Potter and other officers had pulled Wright over for driving with expired license plates
Potter was released at 4 a.m. “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of Ms. Potter, DOC staff, and correctional facility security,” the prison said.
The 26-year-old veteran claimed she accidentally shot Wright when she reached for her gun instead of her taser during a traffic stop over his expired license plates in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
Potter, who was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter in February 2022, received a sentence well below the guidelines of about seven years, and the 15-year maximum the state of Minnesota allows for first-degree manslaughter.
Wright’s family at the time condemned the verdict, which was handed down by Judge Regina Chu, who wept as she announced Potter’s sentence last February.
Katie said on Friday that the only consolation she had was that Potter could never become an officer again.
“Even though we didn’t get the responsibility we really wanted, she will never be able to confuse a taser and a gun again for the rest of her life,” she said.
Potter is shown sobbing on surveillance cameras as she realizes what she has done
Chief prosecutor Keith Ellison had demanded a seven-year term and had until May 2022 to appeal Chu’s sentence. But he accepted the decision and urged others to do so.
“As Ms. Potter leaves prison, I wish her well in her return, as I do for all those returning to society from prison,” Ellison said in a statement.
“However, my deepest sympathy goes out to Daunte Wright, his family and his young child who will grow up without a father.”
At the time of the shooting, Potter and other officers had detained Daunte for driving with expired license plates, while a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Wright attempted to drive off, prompting Potter to grab her taser. In bodycam footage, Potter can be heard yelling repeatedly, “I’ll tase you!” Taser! Taser! taser!’
Moments later, she fired a bullet and immediately said, “I took the wrong f****** gun.” In desperation, she collapsed against the curb and yelled, “I shot him. Oh my God.’
At Potter’s sentencing, Katie told her she would “never forgive” her and asked Judge Regina Chu not to show clemency
Chu felt sorry for the former officer during her sentencing, noted her guilt and called the shooting an accident.
Potter’s clean background also resulted in her shorter time in prison. At her sentencing, Potter cried as she apologized to Daunte’s family.
Looking at them in court, she said, “To Daunte Wright’s family. I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father, brother, uncle and the rest of your family.
“To your mother Katie, I understand a mother’s love and I’m sorry I broke your heart. My heart is broken for all of you.’
But Katie looked straight at Potter as she told her she would “never forgive” her and asked Judge Regina Chu not to show clemency.
“She left our world with so much darkness and heartache.
“The best way I can explain it is that every day I feel the downcast feeling that a mother gets when she realizes her child is missing from a grocery store and you can’t see him, feel him, know if he’s safe. Daunte was only 20. He still had so much of his life ahead of him.
“She took our little boy with a single shot through the heart and shattered mine. She took his future.’
She added, “That’s why I’ll never be able to forgive you. I’ll never be able to forgive you for what you stole from us.’
Potter was a 26-year veteran and Chu felt sorry for her for her remorse and clean record