Jury deliberations begin in Kimberly Potter manslaughter trial
December 21, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS – The jury has begun deliberating in the manslaughter trial of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who killed Daunte Wright after she says she mistook her gun for her taser.
Kim Potter’s case went to the jury on Monday following closing arguments and instruction from Judge Regina Chu. Potter resigned from the Brooklyn Center police force after killing Wright as she and other officers were trying to arrest him on an outstanding warrant during an April traffic stop.
Potter is charged with first – and second-degree manslaughter. The more serious charge requires prosecutors to prove that she acted recklessly, while the lesser charge requires them to establish that she acted with culpable negligence.
The prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments that the shooting was “entirely preventable.” Potter’s attorney said she made a mistake and it wasn’t a crime.
