Kim Potter found guilty on manslaughter charges in fatal shooting of Daunte Wright

(Image credit: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images)

published 23 December 2021

Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright after she says she mistook her gun for a Taser, has been found guilty on manslaughter charges.

A Minneapolis jury found Potter guilty Thursday on charges of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of Wright, a Black man, in April 2021. Potter fatally shot Wright during a traffic stop. She says she thought her gun was a Taser, and video showed her shouting "Taser" and saying "Holy s--t. I just shot him."

Potter testified in her defense during the trial, saying she was "very distraught" after the shooting and "didn't want to hurt anybody." Prosecutors said the case was about "an officer who knew she could kill someone if she got it wrong but failed to make sure she got it right," per NPR, and attorneys for Wright's family said the "argument that she mistook her firearm for her Taser is simply beyond comprehension and a damning indictment of both her and the Brooklyn Center Police Department's practices and training protocols."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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