Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter was sentenced Friday to 24 months for the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.
She will serve just 16 months in prison and be released on supervised release for the remainder of her sentence.
Back in December, a Hennepin County jury found Potter guilty of both first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the death of the 20-year-old black man.
Wright was shot and killed after being pulled over for an expired tag and an illegal air freshener on April 11, 2021.
Potter claimed she never meant to draw her firearm and mistook it for her Taser when she fatally shot him.
“To the family of Daunte Wright, I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father, brother, uncle, grandson, nephew and the rest of your family, to your home,” Potter said in a statement in court prior to sentencing.
“Katie, I understand a mother’s love, and I am sorry I broke your heart. My heart is broken for all of you. Earlier, when you said that I didn’t look at you during the trial, I don’t believe I had a right to. I didn’t even have a right to be in the same room with you. I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly,” she said directly to Wright’s mother.
“I pray for Daunte and all of you many, many times a day. He is not more than one thought away from my heart and I have no right for that, for him to be in my heart,” she continued.
