By Bill Carey
Police1
MINNEAPOLIS — Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center police officer who was sentenced to two years for the fatal shooting of Duante Wright, is expected to be released from prison on Monday.
Potter fatally shot Wright during a traffic stop in April 2021 after firing her service weapon instead of her TASER. After being shot, Wright drove away from the scene and crashed his vehicle a short distance away, where he was pronounced dead, Fox 9 reported.
Potter was sentenced to two years after being convicted of second-degree manslaughter. She served 16 months in prison and will serve the remaining months of her sentence on supervised release.
Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu said it was “the saddest case in my 20 years on the bench.”
“I recognize there will be those who disagree with the sentence. That I granted a significant downward departure does not in any way diminish Daunte Wright’s life. His life mattered,” Chu told the Star Tribune. “To those who disagree and feel a longer prison sentence is appropriate, as difficult as it may be, please try to empathize with Ms. Potter’s situation. Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically. She never intended to hurt anyone.”