Kim Potter, a former Minneapolis police officer who mistook her handgun for her Taser when she fatally shot Daunte Wright has been sentenced to two years in prison after the judge decided on a lesser sentence despite prosecutors seeking more, BBC News reports
Potter was found guilty in December of first and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 death of Wright, a 20-year-old driver. She has been sentenced only on the more serious charge in accordance with state law.
For an individual with no criminal history, such as Potter, the state guidelines on this charge range from just over six years to about eight and a half years behind bars, with the presumptive sentence being slightly more than seven years.
The 49-year-old ex-Minnesota officer maintains she unintentionally drew her firearm instead of her Taser when she killed the young driver.
According to Potter's tearful testimony, she noticed "a look of fear" on the face of another cop during the altercation.
"He [Mr Johnson] had a look of fear on his face. It's something I've never seen before," Potter said. "It just went chaotic."
"I remember yelling 'Taser, Taser, Taser', and nothing happened. Then he told me I shot him," she added as she wept.
During the trial, the jury heard as ex-Brooklyn Center police chief Tim Gannon called Potter "a fine officer". Speaking on the witness stand, Gannon said that after taking a look at the footage taken following the incident, he saw "no violation" of "policy, procedure, and law".
Wright died on April 11 after a run-in with cops in the suburbs of Minneapolis. He was stopped for a minor infraction while driving. Potter then discovered that a "gross misdemeanor warrant" for Wright's arrest had been issued.
Minutes later, shots rang out. In a panic, Potter had allegedly intended to use a Taser but instead fired a handgun. The officer has since resigned from the force.
In bodycam footage of the incident, two police officers can be seen approaching Wright's vehicle, with Potter standing behind them. As one officer attempts to handcuff him, the 20-year-old manages to break free and jumps back into the driver's seat of the car to try and flee the scene.
During the struggle, Potter can be seen pulling out her firearm and shouting "Taser! Taser! Taser!" before firing a single gunshot.
The video, which is just over a minute long, was recorded on the bodycam worn by Potter.
