Former suburban Minneapolis officer Kim Potter sentenced to 2 years in prison for killing Daunte Wri

[FSogol]

Source: Washington Post

The former suburban Minneapolis police officer convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic stop last April was sentenced to two years in prison in a Hennepin County courtroom Friday.

A Hennepin County jury in late December found Kim Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter for shooting Wright, a 20-year-old unarmed Black man in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center last April. Potter claimed she mistook her gun for a Taser when she fired on Wright to stop him from driving away.

“This case is highly unusual,” Judge Regina M. Chu said Friday, and called it “one of the saddest cases I’ve had in my 20 years on the bench.”

Ultimately, Chu said Potter made a “tragic mistake ... and ended up killing a young man.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/18/kim-potter-sentence/

[AZLD4Candidate]

1. Two years? That's it?

Last edited Fri Feb 18, 2022, 02:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Give me a break!

I'm expecting all the badge defenders to come out and say "justice was served."

On edit: They already have.

[Beachnutt]

3. 16 months and probation

and time served will apply.

[AZLD4Candidate]

4. Justice for police commiting crimes. . .no wonder faith in the Justice System is at an all time low

[Bengus81]

42. They claim she must do 16 months,bet she doesn't

Max sentence could have been 15 years,normal for no criminal history is 6-8 years. She'll be out by this time next year.

[Bengus81]

45. Yep...subtract another 58 days for time served

[vlyons]

8. my reaction also

nt

[2naSalit]

10. +1

[left-of-center2012]

2. White cop kills black man

Gets 2 year sentence (not all in prison)

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. White cop murders black man in Minnesota

Gets 22 years maximum.

Black person murders white anything. . .25-Life.

No, the justice system works!



A classmate in high school killed someone in his car driving drunk, showed extreme remorse, and the mother of the victim begged the court to show mercy by forgiving the guy. . .sentenced to seven years in prison.

[harumph]

6. sentence reflects the jurors

opinion that it wasn't intentional. From following the case, I don't think
she intended to shoot him either (at least with her firearm). That said,
it was absolutely negligent and I'm not sure what prison time would
be appropriate for the crime. 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?

[Beachnutt]

9. If I mistake my gas pedal for my brake pedal

in my car and I run over a cop will I only get 16 months in jail for my mistake ?

[oldsoftie]

13. The video was her best defense in this case. Usually its the best prosecutor

But she totally lost it when as soon as she shot.
Still don't know why her gun and taser would be on the same side. I'd never draw a gun with my left hand. Thats where the taser should be then.

[AZLD4Candidate]

18. I'm left-handed

Left would be my gun hand. Right would be my taser hand.

[oldsoftie]

20. I'm right handed. So you're opposite. You still get the point

they should never be on the same side.

[AZLD4Candidate]

27. Yep. To me this is either, at beast, gross incompetence, or, at worse, murder.

[Calista241]

36. She moved a piece of paper from her right hand to her left hand before the draw

Which probably affected her thinking she’s drawn her taser. Not an excuse, but maybe an explanation.

[Bengus81]

43. Isn't the taser a bright yellow color or something other? How the HELL did she not see that?

Answer is she would have noticed the color difference.

[Sneederbunk]

14. And it did not hurt to have a female judge.

[IronLionZion]

7. Are they changing anything to prevent more "tragic mistakes"?

Or is it OK to shoot an unarmed person if you just yell "taser taser taser" first.

[zipplewrath]

22. No

This problem extends from the fundamental training and tactics. Police believe that they must control every situation. There was no real reason to use force here at all. He was resisting, so their tactic is to increase force. They escalated the situation in an attempt to gain control. To the police, refusing their direction is by definition "dangerous". If they aren't in total control, then the situation, by their definition, is dangerous. They assert that the citizen escalated the situation, when in fact they did by attempting to assert more and more control. They use more and more dangerous tactics, without any real justification, merely to establish control.

[Jedi Guy]

26. Cops are generally trained on what they call the ATM (Ask, Tell, Make) System.

First, they'll ask someone to do what they want them to do. If the person fails to comply, then they'll move on to telling them to do it. If that doesn't work, then they'll make the person comply and will use force to do so if necessary. Establishing and maintaining control of a situation/suspect is a very large part of their training.

While "danger" is a consideration, it's mainly just part of their job. They're law enforcement, so the force is built in. They're going to deal with people who don't want to be pulled over, don't want to be searched, don't want to be detained or arrested, don't want to go to jail. In those cases, they use force. Sometimes that involves pain compliance (e.g., bending a wrist backwards so that it hurts to get someone to stop struggling), throwing punches, and/or using a baton, Taser, or sidearm.

What's the alternative? Asking nicely and just letting people walk/drive away if they don't feel like obeying the law? Reasonable people can disagree on whether and what degree of force are appropriate, but it's an inescapable fact of law enforcement that force will have to be used sometimes.

[zipplewrath]

31. De-escelation

The point is to not escalate the situation just to get or maintain control. In this case, there was no reason to attempt to force him out of the vehicle. The worst case result would have been him leaving and picking him up later. They knew where he lived, they knew the car he was driving, and the warrants had been out for a while and there was no sense of urgency in arresting him. There was no justification for using deadly force (and yes, a taser is still dangerous). There was nothing here to justify breaking bones. Force is used when the suspect escalates. The only escalating done by the suspect here is that he tried to leave.

Look, I understand their training, and I'm not suggesting they didn't follow it. She really screwed up. It's not even really clear to me how she could have done it. It suggested there was some confusion in her mind about which weapon to use. But what is clear is that she was thinking more about which weapon to use, that whether to use one at all.

[Jedi Guy]

33. Not entirely accurate.

The car he was driving was not his, it was registered to his brother. He had no license or proof of insurance card on him, so they may not have known where he lived. That'd depend entirely on whether any information in public records was accurate and up-to-date. He had a warrant, which is why they wanted him out of the vehicle. They didn't force him out, either. One of the officers opened the door, and Wright stepped out.

More to the point, he was being cuffed when he began to resist (escalation), then broke free and tried to get back into the car (escalation and attempt to flee). How do you suppose things might have played out differently had he not done that? You're presenting this as if the cops immediately went to physical force and escalated the situation, which isn't accurate.

Simply letting someone with a warrant drive away is just not how cops do things, and I doubt it will ever be how cops do things. If you have a warrant and cops make contact with you and find out, they're going to arrest you. That's how it works.

[zipplewrath]

47. And that's the problem

Simply letting someone with a warrant drive away is just not how cops do things, and I doubt it will ever be how cops do things. If you have a warrant and cops make contact with you and find out, they're going to arrest you. That's how it works.

That's how it works, and that's how Dante got shot for no good reason.

It can be different, and in some countries, it is.

[Jedi Guy]

48. It might change for misdemeanor warrants, I suppose.

Very doubtful it will ever change for felony warrants. In any case, resisting arrest doesn't tend to end well. Best case, you get away but pick up extra charges. Worst case, you go to the morgue. This is why fighting the charge in court is wiser than fighting the cops in the street.

[brush]

11. Time served plus 16 months? That's what Black lives taken by white cops are going for now?

Such white privilege. It's disgraceful.

[oldsoftie]

15. When its an accident, you get a lesser sentence. Intent carries more weight.

You can't compare her case to ones who shoot intentionally & without justification.
Well, you CAN, its just disingenuous

[brush]

23. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've heard all that. Time served and 16 months is not a lesser...

sentence. It's a comparative slap on the wrist. The man is dead and won't be back in 16 months. The sentence should've been longer. She was sentenced for less than the state guidelines.

As I said, its such white privilege.

[oldsoftie]

30. More cop privilege than white. But ok.

[brush]

38. It's a white cop killing a Black man. Wash, rinse, repeat. Call it cop privilege if you want...

but most of us know better.

[oldsoftie]

40. Black cops kill at about the same rate as white ones. And get away with it.

Its an inconvenient truth. Look it up. But the white ones will make national news. Most of the black ones won't. Many cops have a POWER problem more than a RACE problem. They crave the power and control the badge gives them. They get to be the "tough guy".
But some (many times foreign) sources use these cases to divide us. And its been working for years.

[OldBaldy1701E]

44. With all due respect

I doubt we need a foreign source to divide us on the issue. Morality, ethics, and reason do that already. This behavior is unacceptable. If that person had been a rich, white dude with 'connections, they would have just told him that he has to turn himself in because of an outstanding warrant, not become the modern equivalent of stormtroopers just to take him into custody. And, sure, they would technically be in trouble for 'not doing their duty', but as to real consequences for the 'transgression'... please.

[musclecar6]

12. In this case

From what I’ve seen and heard, it looks like she just fucked up and used the wrong gun intending to taze Duante. A terrible mistake to be sure, with lifelong hurt for his relatives and friends. I can see the logic in the Judge’s sentence. If Potter was a frothing at the mouth right wing nut job, like some of our well known elected members of congress or other high profile positions, then it would be appropriate to throw the book at her. In this case, I think the sentence was probably appropriate.

[AZLD4Candidate]

16. Say someone just above the legal drinking limit gets into a single car accident and kills

the passenger in the car.

That person just "fucked up too." Happened to a classmate of mine where he showed so much remorse for it that the victim's mother forgave him and asked the judge to be light on the sentence in an impact statement.

Just sentenced him to seven years.

Your argument falls flat. There are two justice systems: one for the rich, powerful, important, and connected (cops are connected) and one for the rest of us.

As my sig line says: It's a big club, and you ain't in it. You and I are not part of the big club.

[marieo1]

17. Unbelievable

I can't believe it - this young man's life was only worth 2 years? What is wrong with our justice system? A sad day for this young man's family and for the people that respect law and order. Apparently, this doesn't apply to police officers.

[greatauntoftriplets]

19. The Wright family must be devastated.

I hope that the Wrights sue her, not that it'll bring Daunte back.

[Lotusflower70]

21. I just can't

That is absolutely grotesque. She was sentenced less than the state guidelines and she can serve part of her time at home. Miscarriage of justice. My city is going to continue to be trashed. And then there is going to be the Amir Locke case. I am sick and tired of the corruption of the MPD and the lack of accountability.

[Jedi Guy]

24. A lot of considerations are taken into account during sentencing.

Prior criminal history, intent to cause harm, likelihood of committing future offenses, and remorse, among other things. All of those things were going in Potter's favor in this particular instance, though "remorse" really is impossible to weigh objectively. Some will say she's genuinely remorseful for killing Wright, while others will say she's only remorseful about the impact it's had and will have on her own life. Ultimately, the only person who truly knows whether and why she's remorseful is Potter herself.

All that said, though, two years is an incredibly generous and lenient sentence. Under state law, someone convicted of more than one crime for the same act is sentenced on the more/most serious offense, so Potter was looking at a maximum of 15 years and/or a $30,000 fine. So two years is just way, way on the low side.

I don't think Potter intended to kill Wright and I'm generally a lot more sympathetic to law enforcement than most people here on DU, but even so... two years? I feel like the state's request of seven years was reasonable, and even five would have been somewhat fair to all concerned. But two years just doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Demsrule86]

50. I have no sympathy for her...the judge didn't give a damn about the victim and is just oozing

sympathy for the murderer. she killed him and intended to kill him IMHO. The judge is no doubt racist.

[mysteryowl]

25. For those that do not find this fair, and those that do, watch the judges verdict:

The judges verdict starts @1:44:20

[iluvtennis]

28. America's justice system in not colorblind - conviction & sentencing is along racial lines

Mohamed Noor (black cop) sentenced to 12 1/2 years for 2nd degree manslaughter for killing white woman

Kim Potter (white cop) sentenced to 2 years for 1st degree manslaughter for killing black man (Dante Wright)

America's justice system in not colorblind - conviction & sentencing is along racial lines.

Both shootings happened in Minneapolis.

[FailureToCommunicate]

34. Truth.

[oldsoftie]

41. If you think those two cases are the same, you're sadly mistaken.

Noor INTENTIONALLY shot that woman; unarmed & unthreatening. SHE was the one who had called them. And he had his body cam off.
To equate the two cases is just to be divisive or willingly ignoring facts to make it racial.
I'm sure you could have found a much better representation somewhere out there

[AngryOldDem]

29. Quelle surprise.

20-year veteran of the force doesn’t know which side her gun’s on.

Uh-huh. Bullshit.

[walkingman]

35. Do Black Lives really Matter?

[SharonClark]

37. Watching that teary eyed judge ask for compassion for the murderer was unbelievable.

I understand that sentencing guidelines should have required at least 6 years in prison.
What a horrible decision.

[iluvtennis]

39. Watched the trial and the judge was excellent and unbiased throughout. Guess

she held it all goes n for today. In my opinion judges shouldn’t display emotion in court room, but if they do show it for both sides of such a tragic incident. She showed no compassion for Dante Wright and his family.

[Demsrule86]

46. I think the judge should be impeached. It was a horrible decision. She acted liked this murderous

the policewoman was the victim and she is a vicious murderer, not the victim...I am disgusted with this verdict.

[iluvtennis]

49. +++ agree. n/t

[Demsrule86]

51. I am appalled. The feds should charge her...she has it coming.