A mug shot of Kim Potter in which she was shown beaming after she was found guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright's shooting death came up as a topic of contention in her sentencing yesterday, with the deceased motorist's mother saying it showed the ex-officer wasn't genuinely remorseful.
Potter's lawyer insisted Potter had not intended to be disrespectful and was simply doing as she was told by prison staff, the Independent reports
Katie Wright, Daunte's mother, raised the issue with the mug shot as she addressed the court. Potter, then a Minnesota police officer, said she mistook her handgun for her Taser when she shot dead Wright last April. A jury found her guilty in December.
Watch Katie Wright's tearful statement below:Wright told the court Potter never once looked over at her and other Wright family members as they walked past each other in the hallway during the trial. She also claimed that when the defendant testified, she only showed remorse after a break as she “had time to be coached on how to gain some sort of sympathy from the jury.”
“How do you show remorse when you’re smiling in your mug shot after being sentenced to manslaughter? After taking my son’s life? How do you say you’re sorry with no tears?” Katie Wright said.
Damik Bryant, Daunte Wright's brother, slammed the mug shot as “painful” and called for the judge to hand the defendant a “strong sentence.”
Potter's attorney Paul Engh started his remarks by responding to the Wright family's anger over the situation.
“There’s no disrespect intended to the booking photograph," he said. "Ms. Potter indicates they asked her to smile, she smiled. It was not meant to be disrespectful, it was in response to the prison’s request.”
Potter later addressed the Wright family directly and told them she was “so sorry that I brought the death of your son." She also told the grieving mother that she felt she didn't have the “right” to look over at her during the trial.
“I understand a mother’s love, and I’m sorry I broke your heart," Potter said.
Potter was sentenced to two years in prison after the judge decided on a lesser sentence despite prosecutors seeking more.
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