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Outcome reached in Kim Potter trial over Daunte Wright's death

PHOTO: Former police officer Kimberly Potter testifies during her trail in the shooting death of Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, Dec. 17, 2021.
1:38
Court TV
Kim Potter guilty in Daunte Wright's death
By Kiara Alfonseca
Last Updated: December 23, 2021, 7:53 PM

The trial of former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter charged in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop, continues with Potter taking the stand to testify in her own defense.

Potter, 49, is charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 incident. She has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

PHOTO: A screen grab from police video which shows the traffic stop during which Daunte Wright is fatally shot by Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter (not visible in this frame) in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool
A screen grab from police video which shows the traffic stop during which Daunte Wright is fatally shot by Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter (not visible in this frame) is shown as evidence during the opening statements in the trial of Potter in the April 11, 2021 death of Wright in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool
MORE: Former officer Kim Potter set to go on trial in death of Daunte Wright
PHOTO: Signs stand on the south lawn, Nov. 30, 2021, at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis where jury selection begins for former police officer Kim Potter, who shot and killed motorist Daunte Wright.
Jim Mone/AP
Signs stand on the south lawn, Nov. 30, 2021, at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis where jury selection begins for former suburban Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter, who says she meant to grab her Taser instead of her handgun when she shot and killed motorist Daunte Wright.
Jim Mone/AP

The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine and for second-degree manslaughter, it's 10 years and a $20,000 fine.

Wright's death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place.

Latest headlines:

  • Jury wraps for 3rd day without asking any questions
  • Jury asks question about not reaching consensus
  • Closing arguments begin
  • 'I didn't want to hurt anybody,' Potter testifies
  • Prosecution questions Kim Potter on training
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Dec 23, 2021 7:53 PM

Potter found guilty

Kim Potter trial has been found guilty on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges.

The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine, and for second-degree manslaughter, it's 10 years and a $20,000 fine. Her sentencing is scheduled for February 18.


Dec 23, 2021 6:19 PM

Outcome reached by jury

The outcome of the Kim Potter trial has been reached and is expected to be read between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET.


Dec 23, 2021 12:13 AM

Jury wraps for 3rd day without asking any questions

The third day of deliberations in the trial of Kim Potter ended Wednesday evening as it began: very quietly.

The jury asked no new questions, after asking the judge Tuesday afternoon what would happen if they can't agree on a verdict. Judge Regina Chu told them to go back and keep trying.

The jury has spent about 24 hours in deliberation over the course of three days.

Deliberations are expected to resume at about 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. In the event a verdict has not been reached by the end of Thursday, it's expected that the court will take Christmas Eve off, as well as this coming weekend.

-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik



Dec 22, 2021 12:23 AM

Jury ends 2nd day of deliberations

The jury has ended their deliberations for the day and is expected to reconvene Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. CT.

Tuesday marked the jury’s first full day of deliberations, following the initial deliberations Monday afternoon that lasted roughly five hours. 

In the event a verdict has not been reached by the end of Thursday, the court is expected to take Friday -- Christmas Eve -- off, as well as this coming weekend.

Judge Regina Chu has repeatedly promised the jury they won’t be stuck in deliberation for the holiday “no matter what.” If deliberations go past Thursday, they may not pick back up again until the following Monday, Dec. 27.

— ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik


Dec 17, 2021 6:02 PM

Potter talks about her experience as a field training officer

Kim Potter was asked about her background with the Brooklyn Center Police Department. She was hired in 1995, making her a 26-year veteran of the department.

She was a field training officer for at least 10 years, she testified. 

She said she was a field training officer because she "felt that I had knowledge and mentorship that I could help young officers develop into somebody I would want to work and my partners would want to work with."

PHOTO: Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter testifies in court in Minneapolis, Dec. 17, 2021.
Court TV, via AP, Pool
Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter testifies in court in Minneapolis, Dec. 17, 2021. Potter is charged with first and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, following a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.
Court TV, via AP, Pool

She was serving as a field training officer when she fatally shot Wright.

She was also on the domestic abuse response team, serving as a crisis negotiator within the domestic abuse program. 

"Officers would go out on domestic abuse situations or domestic calls and if there was a victim of a crime or an arrest made -- or not an arrest made -- we would follow up the next day with the victims to see that they were getting the things they needed like domestic advocates, walking them through getting order for protections that they had questions, and then helping them, and checking in with them through the court process," she testified. 

As a crisis negotiator, Potter said she would respond to calls where people may be in danger to negotiate with the subject and get them to submit to being arrested.

She had also worked in crime prevention work and said she received a Taser and firearm training.


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