After starting the week off by listening to closing arguments for most of Monday before beginning around 24 total hours of deliberations, the jury in the Kim Potter trial reached a verdict on Thursday. Potter, who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop on Apr. 11, 2021, faces one count of first-degree manslaughter and one count of second-degree manslaughter. The jury made its decision at around 12:09 p.m. and at about 1:29 p.m. the verdict was read by Judge Regina Chu. Potter was found guilty on both counts.

The first count carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $30,000, while the second charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and fines of up to $20,000. According to the New York Times, Potter could likely spend about 11 years in prison given that these are her first criminal offenses. 

In preparation for the outcome of the trial, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, school districts announced that the K-12 winter break would be extended and that many daycare services would be closed the week of Dec. 20. Gov. Tim Walz previously said he was prepared to deploy the Minnesota National Guard if need be but their support does not appear to be needed. The family of Daunte Wright and their legal team announced in a press release that they would be delivering remarks following the trial outside the Hennepin County Courthouse.

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            Thursday, Dec 23, 2021 ·  8:29:17 PM +00:00

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      April Siese
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    Attorney General Keith Ellison began a press conference following the jury decision in the Kim Potter trial by wondering what kind of person Daunte Wright would’ve become had he not been fatally shot by Potter in April. “In this moment, I ask us all to reflect on the life of Daunte Wright and who he would’ve been had he had the chance to grow up,” Ellison began:

“What we know is that he was a young new dad and he was so proud of his son, Daunte Jr. We know that he loved his mom and he loved his dad and he loved his siblings and his big, beautiful family. He had his whole life in front of him and he could become anyone. All of us missed out on who Daunte could’ve been,” Ellison said, before highlighting that the trial led to accountability but not justice. Ellison thanked his team, the jurors, those who testified, and even said his thoughts were with Potter and all law enforcement.

Wright’s parents were on hand during Ellison’s press conference and will be speaking shortly about their response to Potter being found guilty of one count of first-degree manslaughter and one count of second-degree manslaughter.

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            Thursday, Dec 23, 2021 ·  8:53:46 PM +00:00

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      April Siese
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    The parents of Daunte Wright delivered impassioned speeches thanking supporters and praising the accountability reached by the jury finding Kim Potter guilty of both counts in Wright’s shooting death. Katie and Aubrey Wright thanked the prosecution for their efforts and Katie noted that the verdict was reached on the 23rd—a number considered lucky by Daunte.

Both spoke outside the courthouse following remarks delivered by Attorney General Keith Ellison. Supporters have consistently shown up over the course of the trial calling for accountability. Once a verdict was reached on Thursday, they began cheering and chanting things like “Justice for Daunte Wright!” and chanting for both Daunte and Kobe Dimock-Heisler, the latter of whom was killed by Brooklyn Center, Minnesota officers in 2019 after officers responded to a mental health crisis. Potter was the first officer on the scene following Dimock-Heisler’s death and reportedly told the police who were there to turn off their body cameras.

She faced no disciplinary actions for appearing to try to cover up Dimock-Heisler’s death, though Wright and Dimock-Heisler were both honored with a resolution named after them that overhauls policing practices in Brooklyn Center. The Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Resolution establishes a Community Response Department to better handle mental health crises and changes use of force policies, among other reforms.

Over the course of their deliberations, the jury asked two questions, the first being, “If the jury cannot reach consensus, what is the guidance around how long and what steps should be taken?” They also requested that zip ties securing the gun stored in an evidence box be removed so jurors could hold the weapon. Judge Chu allowed that request, but asked that jurors secure the gun with zip ties once they were done handling it. She also noted that the weapon was fully secured and not loaded.

The gun was used by Potter, apparently by accident, as she repeatedly yelled “Taser!” before fatally shooting Wright, who had been pulled over for expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. Prosecutors noted that Potter was in such close range of other officers that the bullet casing from the gun hit Officer Trainee Anthony Luckey in the face as he was attempting to prevent Wright from fleeing the scene by driving away. Potter repeatedly noted throughout the trial and while she was on the witness stand that, were it not for Luckey’s insistence, she wouldn’t have pulled over Wright for such minor infractions.

Judge Chu polled all jurors, who unanimously found that the guilty verdicts were “true and correct.” As Chu was polling the jurors, Potter sat between her defense team relatively stone-faced while attorney Earl Gray appeared to rest his hand on his clasped hands that were on the desk in front of them. Potter will be held in custody without bail. A tentative sentencing date is scheduled for Feb. 18, while the defense will be given until Jan. 31 to file a written motion for a disposition departure, which would allow Potter to potentially serve less than the total amount of her sentence if granted. The prosecution will have until Feb. 14 to respond.