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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 08, 2021, 4:41 PM EST

State questions Brooklyn Center officer on training

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank questioned Brooklyn Center officer Anthony Luckey, who was at the fatal April 11 incident. He is the state's second witness and was questioned on handgun and stun gun training.

Brooklyn Center police Officer Anthony Luckey, testifies in the trial of former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter in the April 11, 2021, death of Daunte Wright, Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool

"The policy was: opposite side of your duty firearm," Luckey said about Brooklyn Center police training. "That way, officers do not get their firearms confused with their Tasers." 

The prosecution focused heavily on Potter's experience and certifications in the department, particularly since Potter's defense is that she innocently and accidentally shot Wright with her firearm when she meant to shoot him with her stun gun. 

Potter is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter. The second-degree charge alleges that Potter acted with “culpable negligence” in Wright’s death. 

The first-degree charge alleges that Wright’s death while recklessly handling a gun, causing the death to be reasonably foreseeable. An intent to kill is not required in either charge.

He confirmed that officers practice drawing the stun guns, go through slideshow lessons and perform continuous hands-on training regarding their weapons. They also go through training as not to confuse their weapons.

Dec 08, 2021, 4:18 PM EST

Daunte Wright's mother recalls final phone call with son

Katie Wright, testifying under the name Katie Bryant, told jurors about the final call she had with her son. She recalled him saying that he had an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror and said he was stopped by police for it. 

She told him to take it down and he said he already had.

He said that they were asking about insurance information, and she told him to hand the phone to the officer when he came to the window because the car was not protected by any insurance. 

"He just sounded really nervous, but I reassured him that it would be okay," she said. 
* *
She heard the police come back to the window, ask Daunte to step out of the vehicle and she heard him ask what he was in trouble for. 

She heard a voice tell Daunte to put the phone down and hang up the phone, and heard Duante and the officers begin to scuffle. She said she was then disconnected. 

"I was panicked. I called back, it seemed like 100 times but I believe was probably maybe four or five times and I kept calling so finally FaceTimed," Bryant said. "I don't know how much time lapsed, maybe a minute or two, and a female, [his girlfriend], answered the phone."

"She was screaming. I was like, 'what's wrong?' And she said that they shot him and she faced the phone toward the driver's seat. My son was laying there. He was unresponsive and I heard somebody say 'hang up the phone again,'" she tearfully recalled.

Dec 08, 2021, 2:54 PM EST

Daunte Wright's mother is 1st prosecution witness on stand

Katie Wright, testifying under the name of Katie Bryant, is the first witness to take the stand in the trial of Kim Potter who fatally shot her son, Daunte Wright.

Daunte was Katie and Aubrey Wright's first child together. 

She recalled intimate details of Daunte's life: "He was funny, he was a jokester. He liked to make everybody laugh. He had a smile that lit up a room. He was amazing."

He had just enrolled in a trade school and planned on pursuing carpentry, she said, and that Daunte's son, Daunte Jr., is now two years old. 

The jury is being shown photos of Daunte, his son and his family. Daunte was shown taking care of his son, who Katie said was born prematurely and was in the hospital for several months.

"He was very proud to be a father," Katie said. "He was also worried that just because he was premature about him sleeping and he could sleep a lot as a premature baby and he was really worried about that. He would play with him, he would do everything that a father needs to do for his child."

"He was an amazing dad," she added.

Dec 08, 2021, 2:34 PM EST

If Daunte Wright had stopped 'he would be with us,' defense says

"All he has to do is stop and he would be with us," defense attorney Paul Engh told jurors. "She can't let him leave because he's going to kill her partner."

When Daunte Wright was being arrested, he freed himself from the officers' grip and tried to get back in his vehicle.

The defense argued that she meant to pull out and shoot her stun gun but instead, she accidentally pulled out her firearm.

Engh argued that Kim Potter was pulling out her stun gun with the intention of stopping Wright from driving away. He said that her partner, Sgt. Michael Johnson, was partially in the car. Engh said that Potter knew that if Wright drove away, Johnson would've been dragged alongside the vehicle.

Fleeing an officer is a "dangerous felony," Engh said. "It's a crime of violence."