Outcome reached in Kim Potter trial over Daunte Wright's death

Kim Potter is charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.

Last Updated: December 23, 2021, 6:41 PM EST

The trial of former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter charged in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop, continues with Potter taking the stand to testify in her own defense.

Potter, 49, is charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 incident. She has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

PHOTO: A screen grab from police video which shows the traffic stop during which Daunte Wright is fatally shot by Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter (not visible in this frame) in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
A screen grab from police video which shows the traffic stop during which Daunte Wright is fatally shot by Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter (not visible in this frame) is shown as evidence during the opening statements in the trial of Potter in the April 11, 2021 death of Wright in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool
PHOTO: Signs stand on the south lawn, Nov. 30, 2021, at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis where jury selection begins for former police officer Kim Potter, who shot and killed motorist Daunte Wright.
Signs stand on the south lawn, Nov. 30, 2021, at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis where jury selection begins for former suburban Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter, who says she meant to grab her Taser instead of her handgun when she shot and killed motorist Daunte Wright.
Jim Mone/AP

The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine and for second-degree manslaughter, it's 10 years and a $20,000 fine.

Wright's death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place.

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Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 08, 2021, 3:42 PM EST

'An error can happen,' argues Potter defense

The defense said it plans on introducing Dr. Laurence Miller, a psychologist, to testify about traumatic incidents, police work and action errors, which defense attorney Paul Engh said will be "about how it is that we do one thing while meaning to do another."

The defense is arguing that the fatal shooting was an accident and that Kim Potter meant to reach for her stun gun and not her firearm when she shot Daunte Wright in the chest.

Engh gave examples of common mistakes to the jury -- including writing the wrong date down or putting in an old password into a computer.

"They are ordinarily dismissible, but they become quite important when what happens is catastrophic," Engh said. 

"Dr. Miller will tell you in times of chaos, acute stress decisions have to be made when there is no time for reflection," he added. "What happens in these high catastrophic instances is that the habits that are ingrained, the training that's ingrained takes over. In these chaotic situations, the historic training is applied and the newer training is discounted."

Engh said that stun guns have only been available in the last 10 years to the department and this is a brand new stun gun, "whereas, by comparison, Potter has 26 years of gun training. And an error can happen."

Dec 08, 2021, 1:26 PM EST

Potter wanted to help domestic abuse victims, her defense says about her career

Defense attorney Paul Engh told the jury details about former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter, who has pursued a career in law enforcement since she was a teenager in high school. 

Engh said that Potter got a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and sociology, and started her career in 1995 as a patrol officer for Brooklyn Center Police Department. 

The 26-year veteran to the BCPD, Engh said, "always wanted to be on the streets."

"She'll tell you one of the proudest days of her life was to have her dad pin the badge on her so that she can be a police officer," Engh said.

In particular, Engh said Potter wanted to help domestic abuse victims.

"As she became a part of Brooklyn Center domestic abuse task force … she shepherded women through the court system, became mentors, and made sure they were treated fairly," Engh said.

Dec 08, 2021, 12:25 PM EST

Prosecution focuses on Daunte Wright, may introduce 'spark of life' witness

Prosecutor Erin Eldridge told the jury more about 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

"Daunte Wright himself was just 20 years old -- just out of his teens -- still had a close relationship with his mother, had a new baby boy, a loving family and his whole adult life ahead of him," said Eldridge.

A poster of Daunte Wright is seen after the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial was announced at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, April 20, 2021.
Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters, FILE

She told the jury that he had a large family that he loved, dreams of being a professional basketball player and plans to enroll in a trade school.

The prosecution is expected to have a "spark of life" witness, a Minnesota legal allowance that lets prosecutors present evidence about a murder victim that paints them in a nuanced light, legal experts say.

-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

Dec 08, 2021, 3:37 PM EST

Prosecution hammers Potter's training 

Erin Eldridge, a prosecutor with the Minnesota assistant attorney general's office, is presenting the state's case against former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter.

In an opening statement, Eldridge read for the jury the oath that Brooklyn Center officers take: "I will never betray my badge, my integrity. my character, or the public interest. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions."

In this image provided by the prosecution shows Officer Kim Potter's duty belt as the state delivers their opening statement during the trial of Potter for the April 11, 2021 death of Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool

Eldridge told jurors that police officers "have the responsibility to be mindful and attentive and acutely aware of the weapons that they carry and the risks associated with those weapons," targeting Potter's defense that claims Potter had meant to grab her stun gun instead of her firearm when she fatally shot Daunte Wright. 

"When it comes to those weapons, they have the responsibility to carry those weapons, and use those weapons appropriately," Eldridge added. 

Eldridge told the jury that they'll hear evidence regarding stun gun and firearm training that Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center police department, would have had. 

Potter carried her weapons on her belt in the same way every day on the job, Eldridge told the jury, and that she wore her firearm on her dominant, right-hand side and her stun gun on her non-dominant, left side.

"She was also trained about the risks of pulling the wrong weapon and that drawing and firing the wrong weapon could kill someone," Eldridge said. "She was trained to carry her weapons in this way. And she was trained on how to use them and how not to use them."