Our live coverage has ended. You can read more about today’s verdict here.
Former police officer Kimberly Potter has been transferred to Minnesota Correctional Facility – Shakopee, about 25 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Earlier today, a jury found Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal April shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Prosecutors asked that Potter’s bail be revoked, which was granted by Judge Regina Chu.
The former Brooklyn Center police officer was handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.
A sentencing date was set for Friday, February 18 at 10 a.m. ET.
Kim Potter was found guilty today of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter charges for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest on April 11, 2021. In body camera footage of the incident, Potter, can be heard yelling “Taser” repeatedly before she shoots Wright.
Potter was originally charged with second-degree manslaughter in April. Prosecutors added a first-degree manslaughter charge in early September.
Here’s a look at the charges and maximum sentences:
While the maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years in prison, since Potter has no criminal history, Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommended a sentence roughly between 6 to 8.5 years in prison. For the second-degree manslaughter charge, the guidelines recommend between 3.5 to nearly 5 years in prison.
In October, prosecutors informed the court they intend to seek a more severe penalty than state guidelines call for when Potter is sentenced, claiming that she abused her position of authority and that her conduct caused “greater-than-normal danger to the safety of other people.”
Katie Bryant, the mother of Daunte Wright, said she felt a lot of “emotions” the moment she heard former police officer Kim Potter was found guilty.
Bryant went on to praise the prosecution and the community for their support.
“We want to thank the entire prosecution team,” Bryant said. “We want to thank community support, everybody who has been out there that has supported us in this long fight for accountability.”
Potter was found guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal April shooting of Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. She will be sentenced on Feb. 18, 2022.
Moments after the guilty verdict was read, CNN’s Omar Jimenez described what the scene was like outside of the courthouse’s south entrance in Minneapolis.
“People feel that whenever one of these verdicts come, it’s not just for this particular case but it’s about so many other names and faces, especially Black ones, that have come into these types of interactions with police,” he continued.
Jimenez spoke to some people waiting for a verdict outside the building, including a woman who said the verdict is “proof that the world can change and do better for us Black people, us minorities in this world.”
“That’s all I want. I have a Black son growing up in this world. You can imagine my fear for him. Daunte wasn’t doing nothing, didn’t have no gun, no nothing and got killed. Who’s to say who’s the next man that is going to get killed?” she told Jimenez. “We just need change, that’s all. It should have never happened. We fought for this.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sent a message to those who work in law enforcement and public safety, following Kim Potter being found guilty of first and second degree manslaughter for the death of Daunte Wright.
“Your community respects and appreciates you. We want you to uphold the highest ideals of our society and ideals of safety,” he said.
Ellison continued: “When a member of your profession is held accountable, it does not diminish you. In fact… It shows the whole world that those of you who enforce the law are also willing to live by it. And that’s a good thing. It restores trust, faith and hope.”
Ellison also said that his “thoughts are with Ms. Potter today.”
“She has gone from being an esteemed member of the community and honored member of a noble profession to be convicted of a serious crime. I don’t wish that on anyone. But it was our responsibility as the prosecution, as ministers of justice, to pursue justice wherever it led and the jury found the facts,” Ellison said.
A female juror in the trial of former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter was seen crying following the reading of the verdict on Thursday, according to a pool reporter in court.
Juror No. 4 was “seen crying” as Judge Regina Chu thanked the members of the jury, saying she was proud of them and calling them heroes. Another juror sitting next to Juror No. 4 was seen reaching out and putting his hand on her arm, according to the pool report.
Minutes later Juror number 4 was observed still shaking and crying as the jury stood to leave the courtroom.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said that the jury finding Kim Potter guilty of first and second degree manslaughter gave “a degree of accountability” for Daunte Wright’s death.
The attorney general said his “thoughts are also with Ms. Potter today.”
“She has gone from being an esteemed member of the community and honored member of a noble profession to be convicted of a serious crime. I don’t wish that on anyone. But it was our responsibility as the prosecution, as ministers of justice, to pursue justice wherever it led and the jury found the facts,” Ellison said.
The attorney general also sent a message to those who work in law enforcement and public safety.
“We hold you in high regard, and we also hold you to high standards. We don’t want you to be discouraged. Your community respects and appreciates you. We want you to uphold the highest ideals of our society and ideals of safety,” he said.
“When a member of your profession is held accountable, it does not diminish you. In fact, it shows. It shows the whole world that those of you who enforce the law are also willing to live by it. And that’s a good thing. It restores trust, faith and hope,” he continued.
Daunte Wright’s legal team, along with his family, are speaking to reporters following the guilty verdict in the trial of former police officer Kim Potter.
Potter was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal April shooting of Wright during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest on April 11.
Potter, 49, had pleaded not guilty to the charges. She took the stand and testified before the jury, breaking down in tears as she recounted the shooting, eventually apologizing and insisting she “didn’t want to hurt anybody.” During her emotional testimony, Potter said she remembered “yelling ‘Taser, Taser, Taser,’ and nothing happened, and then he told me I shot him.”
The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/ handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine. However, since Potter has no criminal history, Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence roughly between 6 and 8.5 years in prison.
Her sentencing date has been set for Feb. 18, 2022.
As former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter was handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom on Thursday, Potter’s husband, Jeff, was heard yelling “I love you, Kim,” according to a pool reporter in court.
“I love you back,” Potter replied.
Potter was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter charges for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest on April 11, 2021. She will be sentenced on Feb. 18, 2022.
Daunte Wright’s parents, Arbuey Wright and Katie Bryant, were present in court for the reading of the verdict on Thursday.
As the first verdict was read by Judge Regina Chu, pool reporters heard Wright’s parents take “deep breaths and loud sighs” with “their hands as one.”
Bryant began to sob as the first guilty verdict was read while her husband comforted her, according to the pool reporter in court.
Following the reading of the second guilty verdict, Wrights family “let out cries,” according to another pool reporter.
Former officer Kim Potter was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal April shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. She will be sentenced on Feb. 18, 2022.
As the “guilty” verdict was read in the trial of former police officer Kim Potter in the fatal April shooting of Daunte Wright, CNN’s Adrienne Broaddus reported that “not much emotion” was shown by Potter.
Potter was found guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter.
Broaddus went on to add that she did notice an emotional reaction to the verdict by Potter’s defense team.
“More reaction, notably, from her defense attorney, Earl Gray,” Broaddus said. “After the jury was excused, he sat down. At one point he buried his hands in his head.”
CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams explained “Blakely factors” and how they may factor into sentencing after former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter was found guilty in the April killing of Daunte Wright.
“I think they’re going to have a hard time getting aggravating factors in here, but they’re there. Now, number one, one will certainly be that the individual abused a position of trust. She was given a firearm and was a trained police officer,” he said.
The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison, while the maximum for the second-degree manslaughter count is 10 years. The prosecution could push for a longer sentence.
Kim Potter, a former police officer who yelled “Taser” before fatally shooting Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, will be sentenced on Feb. 18, 2022 at 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. local time), according to Judge Regina Chu.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors agreed on the date after a brief back and forth.
Initially, defense attorneys requested for Potter to be released on $100,000 bail, but Judge Chu denied the request stating, “I cannot treat this case any differently than any other case.”
The former Brooklyn Center police officer was handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.
Chu said she would be ordering a Presentence Investigation and Report.
CNN’s Brad Parks contributed reporting to this post.
Judge Regina Chu denied a request by Kim Potter’s defense attorney, Earl Gray, to let Potter go home before she is sentenced.
Gray told the judge that Potter is a devout Catholic, arguing:
Judge Chu denied the request.
“I am going to require that she be taken into custody and held without bail… I cannot treat this case any differently than any other case,” she said.
Chu ordered Potter to be remanded without bail until her sentencing on Feb. 18.
After reading aloud the verdict in the Kim Potter trial, Hennepin County Fourth Circuit Judge Regina Chu reiterated that the 12 jury members served heroically in their duty.
The jury found Potter was guilty of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter charges for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest on April 11.
Chu said she was “proud” of the jury.
“And then you went into deliberations and each of you brought with you your common sense, individual perceptions, and life experiences, and you came to an agreement on the verdicts. You did your duty. I’m so proud of you. You should be proud of yourselves. Without civic-minded citizens like you, our system of justice could not function. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifices. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and may the peace and beauty of the season be yours throughout the year,” Chu continued.
Kim Potter has been found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter charges for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest on April 11, 2021.
Jurors deliberated for about 27 hours over the course of four days.
Potter, 49, had pleaded not guilty to the charges. She took the stand and testified before the jury, breaking down in tears as she recounted the shooting, eventually apologizing and insisting she “didn’t want to hurt anybody.” During her emotional testimony, Potter said she remembered “yelling ‘Taser, Taser, Taser,’ and nothing happened, and then he told me I shot him.”
The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/ handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine. However, since Potter has no criminal history, Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence roughly between 6 and 8.5 years in prison.
In October, prosecutors informed the court they intend to seek a more severe penalty than state guidelines call for when Potter is sentenced, claiming that she abused her position of authority and that her conduct caused “greater-than-normal danger to the safety of other people.”
If Judge Chu agrees that aggravating factors were present, Potter could receive a lengthier prison sentence than the recommendations set out, but not more than the legal maximum. Under Minnesota law Potter will have to serve two-thirds of her sentence in prison. With good behavior, she will be eligible for supervised release for the other third.
Former police officer Kim Potter testified that she mistook her Taser for a gun when she fatally shot Daunte Wright in April – a distinction that is central to her case.
During his testimony on Dec. 13, Special agent Sam McGinnis of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension described the Taser and gun differences in appearance, weight and positioning on Potter’s utility belt. McGinnis is a state investigative agent responsible for reviewing police shootings.
Potter is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter for killing Wright, a 20-year-old Black man. Potter has pleaded not guilty.
Here are the main differences:
Minutes before recounting the shooting, Potter testified she had received a new Taser model days before the shooting.
Potter was issued the new Taser on March 26, she said. She shot Wright on April 11. She told jurors she had never deployed the device while on duty.
“I would take my Taser out on rare occasions, but I don’t believe I ever deployed it,” she said.
Potter testified she had received no “weapons confusion” training. The subject occasionally came up at training.
A “trial outcome” has been reached in the Kim Potter case.
There were 14 jurors on the panel, including two alternates, who listened to the testimony throughout the Kimberly Potter trial, but only 12 jurors deliberated.
While we wait to hear more about the outcome, here’s what we know about them:
Initial questionnaire: Prospective jurors in the trial were sent a 15-page questionnaire, which asked about their knowledge of the case, media habits, impressions of Potter and Wright, Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter, and if they participated in and demonstrations or marches relating to policing that took place in the Twin Cities area in the last two years.
The responses to the individual questionnaires have not been made public, but many of the jurors’ answers were discussed in open court during jury selection.
Jury selection pool: At least 453 prospective jurors were summoned for jury selection in the trial, according to Hennepin County District Court Communications Specialist Matt Lehman. Nearly 130 more prospective jurors were summoned for Potter’s trial than were called earlier in the year for the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. During four days of jury selection, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu and attorneys questioned over 30 prospective jurors.
The jurors: There are 14 jurors on the panel, including two alternates, seven men and seven women were selected. The jury is comprised of seven White men, four White women, two Asian women, and one Black woman. No Black men were selected for the jury.
Previous knowledge of the case: During jury selection, almost all of the jurors selected told the court they had heard about some aspects of Wright’s death and most told the court that they had seen clips of body camera video showing the fatal shooting.
Body camera and patrol car footage shown during the trial show what happened during the traffic stop where Daunte Wright was shot and killed.
In the footage, Potter can be heard saying, “I’ll tase ya,” before shooting Wright. “I just shot him. I grabbed the wrong f–king gun,” Potter said. “I shot him. Oh my God.”
“Oh my God,” Potter added while crying. Potter continued to yell, “Oh my God,” numerous times while lying face down on the grass, according to body camera footage.
What lead up to the shooting: Officer Anthony Luckey, the trainee officer working with Potter, testified that while they were on patrol he encountered Wright’s vehicle and observed the white Buick had its right blinker on in the left turning lane. He then immediately ran the registration of the license plate, which had expired registration tabs on the plate.
Luckey also told prosecutors he saw “there was an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror as well,” which is a “common violation of the law.”
When he pulled over Wright, Luckey said he noticed marijuana residue in the vehicle and smelled marijuana odor. He noted that his interaction with Wright was respectful, and he had no reason to believe he had a weapon.
When he returned to his squad car, Luckey ran Wright’s information through the system, and it showed Wright had an outstanding warrant for a “gross misdemeanor weapons charge” and an “order of protection for a female.”
At some point, another officer, Sgt. Mychal Johnson, arrived and Luckey told him his plan to take Wright out of the vehicle and arrest him. He then returned to Wright’s vehicle and began placing him under arrest.
As Luckey struggled to put handcuffs on Wright, Potter was approaching and attempting to grab his arm. Wright was able to get away and back into the vehicle, Luckey said.
At that point, Potter pulled out her firearm and shot him – later saying she instead meant to use her Taser.
Read more about the video here.
Kim Potter faces first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter charges for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest on April 11, 2021. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
After eight days of testimony and 33 witnesses, attorneys on both sides laid out their case ahead of jury deliberations. Here’s what they said:
Prosecution
Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Erin Eldridge told jurors in her closing argument that the case is “very simple,” it’s about the “reckless handling of a firearm” and “culpable negligence” by Potter.
Eldridge told the jury that the defense will try to convince them that Wright is “to blame” for what happened to him on April 11. “We’re here because of the defendant’s actions, not Daunte Wright,” she continued.
Eldridge said that they would not be here if Potter “followed her training…paid attention…and considered the risk,” before shooting Wright.
The prosecutor said that Potter’s actions were unreasonable because a “reasonable person” knows “you don’t blindly pull your weapon, pull the trigger, without being aware of the risk.”
She added that “an accident is still a crime” if the defendant’s actions are reckless or culpably negligent.
Defense
Defense attorney Earl Gray argued that Potter had the right to use deadly force. He claimed that her actions shouldn’t be considered reckless because she “didn’t know she had a gun.”
He pointed the blame at Daunte Wright who, Gray said, “took it upon himself to flee” and “purposely” left the scene after he was shot when he tried to drive away.
Gray said that Potter made “a mistake” when she shot Daunte Wright and “a mistake is not a crime,” pointing to to the “character” witnesses that the defense called that have “known Potter for years” and “think the world of her.” He said that his client is a “peaceful person” and “not a bully.”
Kim Potter faces first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter charges for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest on April 11, 2021. In body camera footage of the incident, Potter, can be heard yelling “Taser” repeatedly before she shoots Wright.
Potter was originally charged with second-degree manslaughter in April. Prosecutors added a first-degree manslaughter charge in early September. Potter has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
While the maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years in prison, since Potter has no criminal history, Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommended a sentence roughly between 6 to 8.5 years in prison. For the second-degree manslaughter charge, the guidelines recommend between 3.5 to nearly 5 years in prison.
In October, prosecutors informed the court they intend to seek a more severe penalty than state guidelines call for when Potter is sentenced, claiming that she abused her position of authority and that her conduct caused “greater-than-normal danger to the safety of other people.”
If Potter is convicted on both counts, Judge Regina Chu will impose sentence on the most severe charge at a later date.
A “trial outcome” has been reached in the trial of Kimberly Potter, according to a notice posted on the Hennepin County Court’s website.
“A trial outcome has been reached and will be read on the record today between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.,” (which is 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. ET), according to the notice.
Jurors deliberated for 24 hours from Monday to Wednesday. They resumed deliberating at 9:40 a.m. ET Thursday. The court did not specify in the notice when jurors stopped deliberating today.
CNN is asking the court for clarification on “trial outcome.”
