Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter has been sentenced to two years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of both first and second-degree manslaughter for the shooting death of Daunte Wright.
The sentence will include a mandatory 16 months spent inside prison, which is state law, but Potter might then be eligible for supervised release for the rest of her sentence with good behavior.
Potter, 49, made the argument that she confused her handgun with her taser during the controversial shooting that ended the life Wright after she fired a bullet into his chest during a traffic stop.
The sentencing kicked off at 9 a.m. on Friday, with prosecutors in the case placing emphasis on additional factors that could have potentially led to a stronger sentence for Potter.
Katie Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, gave the first statement on Friday, according to WCCO-TV. “I’ll never be able to forgive you for what you stole from us,” asking Judge Regina Chu to hold Potter to the “highest accountability.”
“To the family of Daunte Wright, I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father, brother, uncle, grandson, nephew and the rest of your family, to your home,” Potter went on to say in a statement made in court, CNN reported.
“Katie, I understand a mother’s love, and I am sorry I broke your heart. My heart is broken for all of you. Earlier, when you said that I didn’t look at you during the trial, I don’t believe I had a right to. I didn’t even have a right to be in the same room with you. I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly,” she said addressing Wright’s mother directly.
The December jury decision came after nearly 27 hours of deliberation, concluding just two days before Christmas.
The first-degree charge carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years. The second-degree sentence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
According to the prosecutors in the case, Potter could have been sentenced to a maxim of just over seven years under the state’s guidelines.