Outcome reached in Kim Potter trial over Daunte Wright's death
Kim Potter is charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.
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.
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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Closing arguments begin
Attorneys are making the final case to jurors after eight days of testimony in the trial of former Brooklyn Center Kim Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright.
Judge Regina Chu has said that jurors will not deliberate on Dec. 24 or Dec. 25, and they will return after the holiday if a verdict has not been reached.
The jury is composed of nine white jurors, one Black juror and two Asian jurors. The two alternates are both white. The jury is less diverse than the one that convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin's murder trial was in progress when Potter killed Wright.
'I didn't want to hurt anybody,' Potter testifies
As Kim Potter broke down on the stand, prosecutor Erin Eldridge asked, "You knew that deadly force was unreasonable and unwarranted" in the killing of Daunte Wright.
"I'm sorry," Potter said through sobs. "I didn't want to hurt anybody."
Eldridge then pressed, "You testified … that after you saw a scared look on Sgt. [Mychal] Johnson's face, that's why you decided to use the Taser?"
"Yes," Potter replied.
"But you also told Dr. [Laurence] Miller that you don't know why you decided to use the Taser?" Eldridge said.
She asked Potter why she remembered some aspects of the shooting in earlier conversations but not on the witness stand.
"You said that there are a lot of things that you don't remember, that you directly testified that your memory came back when you saw your husband that day," Eldridge asked. "But didn't you tell Dr. Miller that you remember seeing the gun in your right hand?"
Potter replied: "I don't remember my interview with him. I was distraught. I wasn't in a good place."
Body camera footage shows Potter sobbing and crying following the shooting, saying she's going to go to jail. Eldridge asked Potter about this.
"You didn't behave like someone who had just saved certain Johnson's life, did you?" she asked. "You never asked Sergeant Johnson if he was OK, right?"
Kim Potter testifies on Daunte Wright's past
Daunte Wright, who was fatally shot by Kim Potter during a traffic stop, had a gross misdemeanor warrant and an order of protection against him.
Potter maintained that it is not uncommon to find someone who has a warrant during a traffic stop and that a gross misdemeanor is a lesser offense than a felony. Potter also recalled the temporary order of protection against Wright.
When prosecutor Erin Eldridge asked if "just having a female passenger in your car is not in and by itself a violation of an OFP [order of protection]," Potter said it has to be investigated.
Eldridge then asked, "You did not see a need to rush up to the passenger side of the vehicle and pull this woman to safety, right?"
"Not at the moment," Potter replied.
Prosecution questions Kim Potter on training
Kim Potters was asked about the department's Taser policy, which she said states "that all training should include performing reaction hand draws or cross draws to reduce the possibility of accidentally drawing and firing a firearm."
She also maintained that she received extensive use of force training.
"Part of the reason for that is weapons confusion, right?" the prosecution asked.
"Yes," Potter replied.
"And that was known in the field and has been known for a number of years," the prosecution continued.
"We talked about it," Potter said.
Potter wore her Taser on her left side and her firearm on her right side, according to her testimony. She said it's been like this since 2016.
She said she has never deployed her Taser but has pulled it out for de-escalation purposes.