Kim Potter sentenced to 2 years in Daunte Wright's death

Speaking at Friday’s sentencing, Daunte Wright’s family asked that former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter get the maximum sentence for fatally shooting the 20-year-old during a traffic stop in April 2021. 

Wright also said that his family has not been the same since Daunte’s death. “Nothing will ever be the same, everything we do as a family ends in tears.”

Daunte’s brother, Damik Bryant, and sister, Diamond Wright, also addressed the court. Damik said that Daunte was “killed by the same people we were supposed to trust, who was supposed to serve and protect.”

“I respectfully ask the court to give a strong sentence that accounts for the severe pain and loss that our family has experienced,” Damik concluded.

Daunte’s sister Diamond also spoke to the court requesting, like her father, the maximum sentence for Potter.

“The defendant should be prosecuted and sentenced to the highest extent,” Diamond Wright said.

She poignantly told the court that while discussing the George Floyd killing, her family said that “maybe we have enough white in us to not be a threat to the police, we were wrong.”

“We have repeatedly seen that one hint of black in our skin makes us a target,” she said. 

Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Daunte’s only child, tearfully addressed the court saying that Potter had taken her son’s “best friend” from him. She said that since the incident, Daunte’s son has been “more scattered and angry,” and that Daunte will not have the chance to see his son grow. 

Whitaker says she suffers from severe PTSD after Daunte’s shooting.

“Whenever I’m pulled over, I am extremely afraid of making a mistake and something going wrong,” Whitaker said.

She also asked that Potter receive the maximum sentence.

Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Daunte Wright's two-year-old son, said their child senses his father is gone.

Former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter was convicted in December of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting 20-year-old Wright and will be sentenced today.

"Kim Potter took my son's best friend away from him and things haven't been the same since. I am now a single mother, not by choice, by force," Whitaker said in her impact statement during Potter's sentencing hearing today.

She said her son will miss out on having a father for life milestones. Whenever she shows him photos and videos of Wright, his face "lights up with the biggest smile and he says 'dada.'"

"Police are supposed to protect and serve the community. How will my son learn to trust police after what happened to his dad? I don't want my son to grow up afraid of the police or hating them. Nevertheless, it's only fair that Kim Potter be sentenced to the maximum amount of time for executing my son Daunte Jr.'s father," she said.

Daunte Wright's father said that former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter should get the maximum sentence for fatally shooting his son.

"Daunte's life was cut short by Kim Potter, who claims she thought she had a Taser. She pointed a gun into my son's chest, pulled the trigger, not only killing Daunte by damaging his heart to the point of unrepairable... but she also damaged my whole family's heart. Nothing will ever be the same," Arbuey Wright said at Potter's sentencing.

"Kim Potter was trained, and was trained to prevent this type of thing from ever happening. She was a police officer longer than my son was alive. I ask that Kim Potter be held accountable and that the maximum sentence be applied, which is incomparable to the life sentence we have been given because [of] her negligence. My son Daunte's life was taken away way too soon and he's never coming back. It's affected my whole family," he said.

Katie Wright, Daunte Wright's mother, gave an emotional speech at the sentencing hearing of Kim Potter, a former Minnesota police officer who was convicted of fatally shooting the 20-year-old.

"She referred to Daunte over and over again as the driver, as if killing him wasn't enough to dehumanize him. She never once said his name, and for that, I'll never be able to forgive you. And I'll never be able to forgive you for what you've stolen from us," Wright said.

She spoke about his life and said Potter took away his future.

Wright then talked about how she spoke to her son and assured him he would be OK after he was shot.

"A police officer that took the oath to serve and protect for 26 years, but not on this day. On this day, she did not protect. She failed Daunte, our family and our community," she said.  

Wright said Potter "didn't even try" to save him.

"Your honor, I'm asking you to hold the defendant to the highest accountability, to the person of authority who portrayed her badge not only when she shot Daunte but when she rolled around on the ground crying for herself, 'I'm going to prison' ... when she should have in fact said, 'Please go save him. How is he doing? Is he OK? Please help him.' She didn't even try, your honor. She didn't try to save him. You should have done better," Wright continued.

"Your honor, I'm stuck with three questions I ask myself: How do you show remorse when you're smiling in your mugshot after being sentenced to manslaughter after taking my son's life? How do you say you're sorry with no tears? How much time is my son's life worth?" Wright continued.

See Daunte Wright's mother speak:

Matthew Frank, the lead prosecutor, opened today's sentencing hearing by telling a judge that the presumptive sentence for former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter "was appropriate."

Prosecutors have asked the judge to sentence Potter to more than seven years in prison for Daunte Wright's death.

"And the presumptive sentence, in this case, reflects the loss of life. As a prosecutors, we represent the interests of victims, and we represent the interests of the community. And so, the presumptive sentence here, your honor, is something that we consider appropriate given the loss of life," he continued.

Frank said the crime Potter committed "a higher state of culpability."

"The jury found the defendant guilty of this crime. This crime reflects a level of culpability that we agree is not an intentional — it wasn't an intent to kill Mr. Wright. But it was culpably negligent. It represents a higher state of culpability. For those reasons, we believe the sentence is appropriate. The presumptive sentence is appropriate," he told the judge.

The former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer convicted in the death of Daunte Wright is back in court this morning to be sentenced.

Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for Kimberly Potter, who said she mistakenly drew her gun instead of her Taser when she fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop in April 2021. She was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu to impose the presumptive sentence of 86 months, or seven years and two months, in a sentencing memo filed Tuesday. That sentence, he wrote, would reflect the "seriousness of the loss of (Wright's) life" as well as Potter's "culpability" in causing Wright's death.

Potter's attorneys have argued for a lesser sentence, pointing in their own filings to her lack of a criminal record as well as her "evident contrition." Potter had apologized to Wright's family, her attorneys wrote, and she planned to do so again at her sentencing Friday.

More context: Under Minnesota law, an offender convicted of two or more charges from the same act is sentenced on their most serious conviction. The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine.

Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who drew a gun instead of a Taser and fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, was found guilty on December 23, 2021, of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the Black man's death.

Potter, who is White, displayed no emotion as the verdicts were read and was ordered held without bail. One of her lawyers rested his head on his hands at the defense table.

Jurors deliberated about 27 hours since Monday, when, in closing arguments, a prosecutor described Potter's actions as a tragic blunder born of recklessness or negligence and the defense characterized the shooting as an honest mistake, not a crime.

The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/ handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison. Since Potter, 49, has no criminal history, Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence roughly between six and eight and a half years in prison.

The former Brooklyn Center police officer was handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom. Her husband, Jeff, a former law enforcement officer, was heard yelling, "I love you, Kim," according to a pool report.

"I love you back," she said.

She was transferred to Minnesota Correctional Facility — Shakopee, about 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Body camera video of former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter fatally shooting Daunte Wright in a car during a traffic stop played a central role in her manslaughter trial.

The shooting happened in Brooklyn Center in April when Potter, 49, mistook her gun for a Taser. It also happened during the trial against former police officer Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd in nearby Minneapolis.

Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter for Wright's death.

Less than 24 hours after Wright's shooting, the town's police chief shared a 90-second video in what he said was an effort to be transparent. Jurors at Potter's trial in December saw new body camera video that showed a different view of Wright's encounter with police.

In the footage, Potter can be heard yelling "Taser" repeatedly before she shoots Wright, 20. After firing her handgun, she yells, "Holy sh*t! I just shot him!"

Read more about this here.

The trial of Kim Potter ended Dec. 23 after a jury found the former suburban Minneapolis police officer guilty of two counts of manslaughter for the killing of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April.

Potter, who is White, fatally shot the 20-year-old Black man in Brooklyn Center after police pulled Wright over for an expired tag and a hanging air freshener. During the stop, officers learned he had an outstanding warrant and attempted to arrest him.

In the 90-second body camera video of the shooting — shared by the town's police chief less than 24 hours after the shooting — Potter can be heard yelling "Taser" repeatedly before shooting Wright. After firing her handgun, she yelled, "Holy sh*t! I just shot him!"

Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter.

Here is what we know about Potter:

CNN's Ashley Killough and Brad Parks contributed to this report.