Arizona; Phoenix — In the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a Minnesota court sentenced former police officer Kim Potter to two years in jail on Friday.
After testimony from the victim's family and the offender, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu imposed the sentence on the former Brooklyn Center police officer. According to the court's ruling, Potter must serve two-thirds of her sentence in prison and one-third under the supervision of an adult guardian. She has already served 58 days behind bars.
After Friday morning's sentencing, Potter's online Department of Corrections records were modified to indicate that she will likely be released on April 24 of next year.
Katie Wright, the mother of the victim, stated outside the courthouse that "the judicial system murdered him all over again.”
For the 20 years that Chu has been on the bench, "this is one of the saddest situations I've encountered,” she said.
The judge argued that because the officer was attempting to use her Taser rather than her gun, Potter deserved a lesser sentence than the 86-months sought by prosecutors. She acknowledged that her decision will not be well received by the general public.
”There will be many who disagree with the sentencing, but the fact that I gave a considerable downward deviation, does not in any way degrade Daunte Wright's life,” said Chu.