Former Minnesota Police Officer Kim Potter to be Sentenced for Daunte Wright’s Death

Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center police officer convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright during an April traffic stop, is set to be sentenced today, according to CNN.

The prosecution is looking for more than seven years in prison for Potter, who claims that she made a mistake when she drew her gun instead of her Taser when she shot and killed Wright, a 20-year-old Black man.

From CNN:

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu to impose the presumptive sentence of 86 months, or seven years and two months, in a sentencing memo filed Tuesday. That sentence, he wrote, would reflect the “seriousness of the loss of (Wright’s) life” as well as Potter’s “culpability” in causing Wright’s death.

“It must always be remembered first and foremost that this case is about the death of Daunte Wright,” the memo said, describing the young father as a “living, breathing human being, who loved, and was loved by his family and friends.”

The attorneys for Potter have argued for a lesser sentence because of her absence of a criminal record as well as her “evident contrition,” according to CNN.

Potter had previously apologized to the family of Wright and plans to do so again today before she is sentenced.

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More from CNN:

Under Minnesota law, an offender convicted of two or more charges from the same act is sentenced on their most serious conviction. The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine.

However, under the state’s sentencing guidelines, a judge has discretion to sentence convicted offenders with no prior criminal history, like Potter, to between roughly six and eight and a half years in prison.

According to CNN, Potter will have to serve at least two-thirds of her sentence in prison and with good behavior, she could possibly be released for the rest of her sentence.