Former Minnesota cop who fatally shot Daunte Wright released from prison

Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright after she reportedly mistook her gun for a Taser, was released from prison on Monday. According to VOA, the Minnesota Department of Corrections said the White woman was released around 4 a.m. “out of an abundance of caution.”

As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Wright – a 20-year-old Black man – was pulled over for driving with expired registration tags when the former Brooklyn Center officer fatally shot him as he attempted to evade arrest. The fatal encounter occurred on April 11, 2021, and Potter was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison after she was found guilty of manslaughter. 

However, the former police officer was released after serving 16 months in prison, and will be on supervised release until her prison sentence expires on December 21. Per Minnesota law, people who are convicted must serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison and the rest on supervised release, corrections spokesman, Andy Skoogman said in a press release.

“The term of imprisonment is set by law; there is no parole board and no time off for good behavior,” Skoogman said.

The two-year prison sentence that was handed to Potter was condemned by Wright’s mother, Katie Wright. Following the sentencing, she said Potter “murdered my son” and the “justice system murdered him all over again.”

Wright’s killing sparked protests in the city. The fatal incident also happened during a volatile period in the city as former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin was standing trial for killing George Floyd. The court was also just miles away from where Wright was fatally shot, The Associated Press reported.

The Black man’s death reportedly compelled the Brooklyn Center City Council to pass a number of reforms, such as making social workers and other trained personnel respond to certain calls instead of the police. These include medical, mental health, and social-needs calls.

The police are also not allowed to arrest people for low-level offenses while the city is required to use unarmed civilians to take care of minor traffic breaches.