Was Justice Served? – Opinion

An ex-police officer Kim Potter was found guilty on Thursday of second-degree manslaughter, and first-degree manslaughter for his fatal shooting of Daunte Wayne Wright during a traffic stop in April 2021. This highly anticipated verdict came after jurors spent nearly 27 hours deliberating over a period of four days.

Potter, 49, was not charged with the killing of Daunte, a black 20-year old man, who refused to be arrested after being stopped. Potter, 49, pulled out her gun thinking it was a pistol and fired one bullet, killing Wright.

Potter broke down during testimony before the jury when she described the event. She apologized and said she “didn’t want to hurt anybody.” She recalled yelling “taser, taser, taser” during the encounter which was likely one of the factors that resulted in her not being charged with murder.

CNN reported:

First-degree manslaughter is defined as reckless handling or use/handling of firearms. The maximum punishment for this offense is 15 years prison time and a $30,000 fine. Minnesota sentencing guidelines suggest that Potter be sentenced to between 6-8 years imprisonment, despite having no criminal record.

Prosecutors in October told the court they will seek a more severe sentence than what state guidelines recommend, arguing that Potter caused “greater-than-normal danger to the safety of other people.”

A judge might agree that the sentence for the former officer could be longer than is usual in such cases. Minnesota law requires that the former officer serve no less than two thirds of her sentence. She could also be eligible to receive early supervision for the remaining three.

The outcome was centered on what the jury believed about Potter’s actions on that day. An affiliate of ABC News explained the following:

The judge said for first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors must prove that Potter caused Wright’s death while committing the crime of reckless handling of a firearm. The judge said that the prosecution must show that Potter committed an intentional or conscious act in handling or using firearms that created a significant or unjustifiable danger that she was aware and disregarded and that put her safety at risk.

Second-degree manslaughter requires that prosecutors prove she committed culpable negligence. That is, she must have knowingly taken a risk of inflicting great bodily injury or death.

It was difficult to judge this case.

Unlike the unjustified shooting of Walter Scott or the justified shooting of Jacob Blake, this one wasn’t quite as clear cut. The video footage shows that Potter believed she was drawing her Taser from what she had been shouting before. It was obvious that this shoot had been a mistake because of her reactions after she realized she had shot a live bullet.

But this error proved to be fatal. Wright, while resisting arrest was his intention, was not an immediate threat to those officers who tried to capture him. While a taser may have been the right thing, using lethal force is not, contrary to what some claim, it would have been appropriate. An average citizen would likely face prison time if they accidentally kill someone else in an identical situation. These laws must also be applied to police officers. They should be held accountable for their actions and hold them to a higher standard.

Potter was a trained trainer for quite some time. It is possible that she should have understood the apparatus she was using, which may have contributed to her being acquitted by the jury. But either way, this is still a tragic situation, especially since it is clear Potter did not mean to take Wright’s life and is obviously torn up about it.

An extended sentence will be sought by the prosecution for the former officer. I’m not convinced that this would be justice. This type of crime is serious and deserves to be punished. However, this woman does not look the same way as Derek Chauvin or Michael Slager. They showed an utter disregard for George Floyd’s lives, while Chauvin looked at Scott running. This is obviously not the same situation.

We can expect that the left will continue to push their preferred narrative on race. Some will claim the verdict wasn’t enough and that Potter should have been convicted of murder. Some might admit that the system was effective, while others may downplay it so that they pretend that all black officers can be found running amok shooting down unarmed men.

Even though it made me uncomfortable, in the end I believe justice was served. The phrase “law and order” must apply to government officials just as it applies to the rest of us, even if it is not always comfortable.