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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 08, 2021 8:37 PM

Prosecution hammers Potter's training 

Erin Eldridge, a prosecutor with the Minnesota assistant attorney general's office, is presenting the state's case against former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter.

In an opening statement, Eldridge read for the jury the oath that Brooklyn Center officers take: "I will never betray my badge, my integrity. my character, or the public interest. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions."

PHOTO: In this image provided by the prosecution shows Officer Kim Potter's duty belt as the state delivers their opening statement during the trial of Potter for the April 11, 2021 death of Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool
In this image provided by the prosecution shows Officer Kim Potter's duty belt as the state delivers their opening statement during the trial of Potter for the April 11, 2021 death of Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, Dec. 8, 2021.
Court TV via AP, Pool

Eldridge told jurors that police officers "have the responsibility to be mindful and attentive and acutely aware of the weapons that they carry and the risks associated with those weapons," targeting Potter's defense that claims Potter had meant to grab her stun gun instead of her firearm when she fatally shot Daunte Wright. 

"When it comes to those weapons, they have the responsibility to carry those weapons, and use those weapons appropriately," Eldridge added. 

Eldridge told the jury that they'll hear evidence regarding stun gun and firearm training that Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center police department, would have had. 

Potter carried her weapons on her belt in the same way every day on the job, Eldridge told the jury, and that she wore her firearm on her dominant, right-hand side and her stun gun on her non-dominant, left side.

"She was also trained about the risks of pulling the wrong weapon and that drawing and firing the wrong weapon could kill someone," Eldridge said. "She was trained to carry her weapons in this way. And she was trained on how to use them and how not to use them."


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