Ex-officer gets 2 years for death
Judge cites remorse; motorist's family rips ‘white women tears'
MINNEAPOLIS — The judge who sentenced white former officer Kim Potter on Friday to two years in prison for killing Black motorist Daunte Wright cited the difficult job that police face — and Potter’s remorse — as reason for giving her less than the recommended sentence.
Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu choked up as she described the difficulty deciding on a sentence for Potter, who said she meant to use her Taser but mistakenly fired her handgun into Wright’s chest as he tried to drive away from a traffic stop in April.
Wright’s family and attorneys angrily condemned Chu, who is Asian American, for going well below prosecutors’ recommendations.
Katie Wright, who is white, told reporters that Potter “murdered my son,” and that, with this sentence, “the justice system murdered him all over again.” She accused Chu of being taken in by a performance she alleged was coached, and asked why her own tears didn’t get such a sympathetic response.
“This is the problem with our justice system today,” Wright said. “White women tears trump — trump — justice. And I thought my white woman tears would be good enough because they’re true and genuine.”
The phrase “white woman tears” has gained currency amid the national reckoning on race, suggesting that white people weaponize their emotions against people of color to protect their privileged positions.
Wright’s family had called for the maximum possible sentence. The state attorney general’s office originally laid out a case for a stiffer-than-normal sentence, then argued Friday for the presumptive sentence of just over seven years recommended by state guidelines.
But Chu said Potter’s conduct over an otherwise exemplary 26-year career “cries out” for a shorter sentence.
Chu said there are four reasons to send someone to prison: “retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation.” But she said Potter doesn’t need to be prevented or deterred from committing future crimes and does not require rehabilitation to become law-abiding. Only retribution to pay for the harm she caused applies, she said.
“In this case, a young man was killed because officer Potter was reckless,” she said. “There rightfully should be some accountability.”
Chu said “the evidence is undisputed” that Potter didn’t intend to use her firearm, and that made this case less serious than other recent killings by police officers. The judge said Potter’s case is “distinguishable” from the murder conviction of Derek Chauvin last year for killing George Floyd, which led to a 22½-year sentence, or Mohamed Noor’s manslaughter conviction for killing Justine Ruszczyk Damond, which resulted in a five-year sentence.
“This is not a cop found guilty of murder for using his knee to pin down a person for 9½ minutes as he gasped for air,” Chu said. “This is a cop who made a tragic mistake. She drew her firearm thinking it was a Taser and ended up killing a young man.”
“To those who disagree and feel a longer prison sentence is appropriate, as difficult as it may be, please try to empathize with Ms. Potter’s situation. As President Barack Obama once said, learning to stand in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, that’s how peace begins,” the judge said.