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 17, 2021, 1:02 PM EST

Potter talks about her experience as a field training officer

Kim Potter was asked about her background with the Brooklyn Center Police Department. She was hired in 1995, making her a 26-year veteran of the department.

She was a field training officer for at least 10 years, she testified. 

She said she was a field training officer because she "felt that I had knowledge and mentorship that I could help young officers develop into somebody I would want to work and my partners would want to work with."

PHOTO: Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter testifies in court in Minneapolis, Dec. 17, 2021.
Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter testifies in court in Minneapolis, Dec. 17, 2021. Potter is charged with first and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, following a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.
Court TV, via AP, Pool

She was serving as a field training officer when she fatally shot Wright.

She was also on the domestic abuse response team, serving as a crisis negotiator within the domestic abuse program. 

"Officers would go out on domestic abuse situations or domestic calls and if there was a victim of a crime or an arrest made -- or not an arrest made -- we would follow up the next day with the victims to see that they were getting the things they needed like domestic advocates, walking them through getting order for protections that they had questions, and then helping them, and checking in with them through the court process," she testified. 

As a crisis negotiator, Potter said she would respond to calls where people may be in danger to negotiate with the subject and get them to submit to being arrested.

She had also worked in crime prevention work and said she received a Taser and firearm training.

Dec 17, 2021, 1:04 PM EST

Kim Potter takes the stand

Kim Potter is testifying in her own defense about the April 11, 2021, events that led to the death of Daunte Wright, who she shot and killed during a traffic stop. She is charged with first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter. The defense said Potter meant to use her Taser on Wright but instead grabbed her firearm when she shot him in the driver's seat of his car, a mistake her lawyers call an "action error."

The defense has maintained that Potter was within her rights to use deadly force on Wright since he could have hurt or killed another officer with his car.

Dec 09, 2021, 3:09 AM EST

Minnesota governor prepares National Guard 'out of an abundance of caution'

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he is preparing the Minnesota National Guard to provide public safety assistance if necessary during Kim Potter's trial, as requested by Hennepin County and the city of Brooklyn Center.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are prepared to ask members of the Minnesota National Guard to be available to support local law enforcement with the mission of allowing for peaceful demonstrations, keeping the peace, and ensuring public safety," Walz said in a statement Wednesday evening.

A press release from Walz's press office stated that, "at this time, the Minnesota National Guard will not be proactively assuming posts throughout the Twin Cities." Guard members will only operate in support of local law enforcement "should they be needed," according to the press release.

Dec 08, 2021, 6:49 PM EST

New body-cam footage shows Potter moments after shooting Wright

New body-worn camera footage played in the courtroom while the prosecution questioned Brooklyn Center officer Anthony Luckey showed the moments after Kim Potter shot Daunte Wright.

In the video, taken from Luckey's body-worn camera, Potter can be seen falling to the curb. 

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she said, before hyperventilating for several minutes with her face buried in the grass. 

Luckey's and Sgt. Mychal Johnson's arms can be seen reaching down to Potter. 

Officer Kim Potter reacts on the ground after the traffic stop of Daunte Wright on April 11, 2021 in this image taken from police video played during Potter's trial in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool

"Just breathe," Luckey can be heard saying. 

"I'm going to go to prison," Potter said. 

"No, you're not," Luckey said.

"Kim, that guy was trying to take off with me in the car!" Johnson said in the video.  

Officer Kim Potter reacts on the ground after the traffic stop of Daunte Wright on April 11, 2021 in this image taken from police video played during Potter's trial in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool

Potter then sat up on the grass and repeatedly said, "Oh my God," as her colleagues waved traffic by and discussed shutting down the street.

Court has wrapped for the day and will resume at 9 a.m. local time Thursday.

-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik