MINNEAPOLIS — The mother of Daunte Wright said Friday she will never be able to forgive the former suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed her son.
Addressing the court during Kim Potter’s sentencing hearing for manslaughter, Katie Wright said she would only refer to Potter as "the defendant" because Potter only referred to her 20-year-old son as "the driver" at trial.
"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," Katie Wright said.
"My life and my world will never ever be the same again," she said.
Potter was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 killing of Wright, a Black motorist. She’ll be sentenced only on the most serious charge of first-degree manslaughter, which carries a presumptive penalty of just over seven years in prison.
Prosecutor Matt Frank said Friday that he believes the presumptive sentence is appropriate, given the loss of life and Potter’s culpable negligence.
"His life mattered, and that life was taken," Frank said. "His name is Daunte Wright. We have to say his name. He was not just a driver. He was a living human being. A life."
The defence has asked for a lesser sentence, including one of probation only, but Frank said: "We are not agreeing to that your honour, but we have recognize this is a unique case. This is a very difficult case."
Defence Attorney Paul Engh told Judge Regina Chu that Wright’s death was "beyond tragic for everybody involved." But, he added: "This was an unintentional crime. It was an accident. It was a mistake."
Engh held up a box displaying what he said were among "thousands" of letters and cards of support for Potter.
"People took the time to write her," Engh said. "This is unheard of for a defendant. I dare say no one in this room has ever seen anything like this."
He urged the judge to sentence Potter to probation, saying sentencing guidelines are often not followed because they are too high for many defendants, including first-time offenders. He said Potter would be willing to meet with Wright’s family and to speak to police officers about Taser mixups.
If Potter is not sentenced to probation, then she should get a lower-than-usual sentence because Wright was the aggressor, Engh said. The testimony of other officers on the scene showed it was a dangerous situation because Wright was attempting to drive away, he said.
"This was an aggressive act. I don’t know how it couldn’t be an aggressive act," said Engh, who also said Potter had the right the defend other officers and that she never should have been charged with first-degree manslaughter.
Potter has been at the state’s women’s prison in Shakopee since the guilty verdict. Her attorney said Friday that her mental and physical health has declined because she is isolated for her safety.
"If you send her to prison, you will harm her," Engh said. "We are not in the business of harming defendants."
Potter was also expected to make a statement.
Wright’s father and siblings earlier addressed the court to speak of their loss.
The mother of Wright’s son, Chyna Whitaker, said Friday that Wright would never have a chance to play ball with his son, or see him go to school.
"My son shouldn’t have to wear a ‘rest in peace’ shirt of his dad," Whitaker said.
Wright was killed after Brooklyn Center officers pulled him over for having expired license tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. The shooting, which came in the midst of Derek Chauvin’s trial on murder charges in George Floyd’s killing, sparked several days of demonstrations outside the Brooklyn Center police station marked by tear gas and clashes between protesters and police.
Evidence at Potter’s trial showed officers learned he had an outstanding warrant for a weapons possession charge and they tried to arrest him when he pulled away. Video showed Potter shouted several times that she was going to use her Taser on Wright, but she had her gun in her hand and fired one shot into his chest.
For someone with no criminal history, such as Potter, the state sentencing guidelines for first-degree manslaughter call for a penalty ranging from slightly more than six years to about 8 1/2 years in prison, with the presumptive sentence being just over seven years.
Prosecutors initially argued that aggravating factors warranted a sentence above the guideline range. They said Potter abused her authority as an officer and that her actions caused a greater-than-normal danger to others.
Defence attorneys’ argument for probation said she has no prior record, is remorseful, has had an exemplary career and has the support of family and friends. They also said her risk of committing the same crime again is low because she is no longer a police officer, and they said she would do well on probation.
Frank disagreed, but wrote that if the court finds prison isn’t warranted, Potter should get 10 years of probation and be required to spend a year in jail, speak to law enforcement about the dangers of weapons confusion, and speak to Wright’s family about their loss if they want her to do so.
Frank also disagreed with defense arguments that Potter should be given a sentence that goes below the guideline range. If the court finds that Potter’s case is less serious than the typical first-degree manslaughter case, he wrote, the court should issue a sentence between four and slightly over seven years, the presumptive sentences for second-degree and first-degree manslaughter.
In Minnesota, it’s presumed that inmates who show good behaviour will sexjmtzywrve two-thirds of their sentence in prison and the rest on supervised release, commonly known as parole. That means if Potter gets the roughly seven-year presumptive sentence, she would serve about four years and nine months in custody, with the rest on parole.
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