Trial Date Set for Ex-Cop Who Shot Daunte Wright

Kim Potter's trial for second-degree manslaughter to begin Dec. 6
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 18, 2021 7:22 AM CDT
Trial Date Set for Ex-Cop Who Shot Daunte Wright
In this courtroom sketch, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu, top left presides during a preliminary hearing for former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter, third from top left, who is accompanied by her attorney Earl Gray, top center, Monday, in Brooklyn Center, Minn.   (Cedric Hohnstadt via AP)

A Minnesota judge has found probable cause to support the second-degree manslaughter charge against former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, who's accused of fatally shooting Daunte Wright during an April 11 traffic stop, setting the stage for a December trial. "I think it's to the benefit of everyone to try and expedite this case and try to come to a resolution or trial as quickly as reasonably possible," Judge Regina Chu said during a court hearing on Monday, setting a tentative Dec. 6 trial date, though Hennepin County prosecutor Imran Ali noted that might not provide adequate time for discovery and to wrangle expert witnesses, per the Washington Post. Ali said he would request cameras be allowed in court, while defense attorney Earl Gray said he would oppose the motion, reports NPR. Usually, both sides need to agree on that point, per KARE.

Potter, 48, is expected to plead not guilty. Police initially said she intended to use a Taser on Wright, who had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court, but instead pulled her gun, firing a bullet into the 20-year-old's chest. Potter had threatened to use a Taser just seconds before firing her service weapon, according to a clip from her body camera. "Holy s---, I shot him," she then said. But an attorney for Wright's family has suggested the shooting wasn't accidental as Potter, a 26-year police veteran who was training officers, ought to have known the difference between a bright yellow Taser situated on her left hip and a black 9mm handgun on her right hip. She'd face a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted. However, "under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, Potter would probably serve closer to four years, given her lack of criminal history," per the Post. (More Daunte Wright stories.)

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