Cop who killed Daunte Wright to be freed
Amelia Jones
Featured Image Credit: Minn. Dept. of Corrections / Wright Family
The former police officer who shot and killed black motorist, Daunte Wright, in suburban Minneapolis in 2021 is set to be released from prison on Monday (24 April).
White former officer, Kim Potter, will be released having served approximately 16 months of a two-year sentence.
It was explained at Potter's sentencing by Judge Regina Chu that she would be required to serve two-thirds of her sentence (16 months) before spending the rest on probation as she described the events as a 'tragic mistake'.
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She was convicted of manslaughter after mistaking her handgun for a Taser and fatally shooting 20-year-old father Wright on 11 April 2021.
The Brooklyn Center officers pulled him over for having expired license tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.
As Wright tried to drive away from the traffic stop, Potter is heard on video yelling 'Taser' several times just before she fires her pistol.
The shooting happened as Derek Chauvin was on trial in Minneapolis on murder charges in George Floyd’s killing. Wright's death sparked several days of protests.
Andy Skoogman, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Correction, announced Friday that the exact timing of her departure from the facility will remain undisclosed for security reasons.
He explained: "Our criminal investigative analysts are working closely with law enforcement to monitor the situation to ensure Kim Potter, like all incarcerated persons, is safe as she leaves our facility."
Potter, who served in the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years, shot Wright in the chest on after reportedly trying to deploy her taser and resigned from her position after the fatal shooting before being arrested.
Potter, now 50, appears much thinner in a new photo released by the Department of Corrections.
Her attorney, Earl Gray, said he had 'no idea' why her appearance changed.
He added: "It just shows it’s rough doing time. I don’t know many mug shots that show somebody in a good light."
Speaking at a news conference in April 2021, Wright’s mother said in an emotional statement, as reported by MailOnline: "Justice isn’t even a word to me.
"The last few days everybody has asked me what we want, what do we wanna see happen? And everybody keeps saying ‘justice’ but unfortunately, there’s never gonna be justice for us,’ she said, standing next to Wright’s father.
"Justice would bring our son home to us, knocking on the door with his big smile, coming in the house, sitting down and eating dinner with us, going out for lunch, playing with his one-year-old almost-two-year-old son, giving him a kiss before he walks out the door," she continued.