Jurors convicted a former suburban Minneapolis police officer of two manslaughter charges in the killing of Daunte Wright, a Black motorist she shot during a traffic stop after she said she confused her gun for a Taser, the Associated Press reports. The mostly white jury deliberated for about four days before finding Potter, who worked in Brooklyn Center, of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. She faces about seven years in prison on the most serious count under sentencing guidelines; prosecutors plan to seek a longer term. Potter, who is white, shot and killed the 20-year-old Wright during an April 11 traffic stop as she and other officers were trying to arrest him on a warrant for a weapons possession charge. The shooting happened at a time of high tension in the area, with former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin standing trial a few miles away for killing George Floyd. Potter resigned two days later.
Jurors saw video of the shooting captured by police body cameras and dashcams. It showed Potter and an officer she was training, Anthony Luckey, pull over Wright for having expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror. During the stop, Luckey discovered there was a warrant for Wright’s arrest for not appearing in court and he, Potter and another officer went to take Wright into custody.
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