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Photos show Kim Potter's reaction to guilty verdict in Daunte Wright trial

Dec 24, 2021, 04:32 IST
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In this screenshot from video, former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter stands with defense attorney Earl Gray, as the verdict is read Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, MN.Court TV via AP, Pool
  • A jury found Kim Potter guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of Daunte Wright.
  • The former Minnesota police officer appeared to show little emotion as the verdict was read.
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Kim Potter remained expressionless as a judge read the jury's double guilty verdict in the former Minnesota police officer's manslaughter case on Thursday.

A 12-person jury found Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright, whom she fatally shot during a traffic stop in April.

The charges together carry a prison term of up to 25 years.

Body-camera footage showed that Potter, who later resigned from the police department, shouted, "Taser!" before deploying her gun and shooting Wright in the chest. Her legal team argued that Potter accidentally grabbed her gun instead of her Taser, which was holstered on the other side of her body.

Jurors heard from two contrasting use-of-force experts during the days-long trial. The defense's expert said Potter's attempt to try to stun Wright was "consistent" with Taser training, while the prosecution's expert said her use of deadly force during the routine stop was "excessive and inappropriate."

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In this screenshot from video, former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter is handcuffed.Court TV via AP, Pool

Potter took the witness stand in her defense and broke down in tears, apologizing for shooting Wright.

The jury deliberated for four days before returning a verdict on Thursday.

A CNN reporter present in the courtroom said Potter showed "not much emotion" as the verdict was read.

"As the verdict was read, she stood silently," CNN's Adrienne Broaddus said. "She did not cry, from what I saw from our vantage point, when the first count was read, the first-degree manslaughter. She looked down. When a guilty verdict was read on the second count, she closed her eyes."

But Potter's legal team appeared to have an emotional response to the guilty verdict, with photos showing one of her attorneys, Earl Gray, burying his head in his hands after the jury was excused.

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In this screenshot from video, former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter, center, with defense attorney Earl Gray, left, and Paul Engh, right, sit at the defense table after the verdict is read.Court TV via AP, Pool

Following the reading of the verdict, Potter's defense team requested that she be allowed to go home for the holidays before her sentencing in February, but Judge Regina Chu rejected the request. She said she couldn't treat the case differently from any other case, given the serious nature of the crime.

Potter was handcuffed and taken into custody, where she's expected to be held without bail until she's sentenced on February 18.

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