A former Minnesota police officer’s new career has outraged the family of the unarmed black man she killed in 2021, who claim she is profiting from his death.
Kim Potter, 51, was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter for accidentally shooting and killing Daunte Wright, 20, on April 11, 2020, when she mistook his gun for a Taser during a traffic stop.
She was released from jail after just 16 months behind bars, because she had no prior criminal record, and told a former prosecutor who resigned in the middle of her case that she wanted to do something to help other officers avoid taking their own lives. .
Potter and former prosecutor Imran Ali are now presenting at law enforcement conferences in what Ali saw as a path to redemption for the former officer and an opportunity to promote healing in communities shaken by police violence.
But Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, said the plan amounted to an enraging plot in which her son’s killer would profit from his death and dredge up painful memories in the process.
Kim Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter in February 2022 for accidentally shooting and killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright on April 11, 2020.
She mistook his Taser for a gun after stopping Wright that day.
‘I think Kim Potter got her second chance. She had to return home to her children. That was his second chance,” said the mother, still grieving.
‘I think when we look at police officers, when they make quote-unquote mistakes, they can still live in our community. They can still continue with their lives. That’s your second chance. We don’t have a second chance to get our loved ones back.’
Katie had previously promised at Potter’s sentencing that she would never forgive her.
‘She took our baby with a single shot to the heart and shattered mine. “She took away his future,” he told a judge.
‘For that, I can never forgive you. I can never forgive you for what you have stolen from us.
Meanwhile, Jeff Storms, an attorney for the Wright family, said the description of a presentation Potter was going to give to Washington state’s liquor and cannabis oversight agency last month sounded more like a promotional piece for police officers than They feel besieged than a painful account of what happened.
The description in the contract said: “The officer and prosecutor who resigned in protest will make a dynamic presentation about the truth of what happened, the increase in violence and non-compliance directed at law enforcement, the importance of training and steps we can take in the future.”
Storms said that passage suggests that Ali, who was initially co-counsel in the case against Potter but resigned saying that “virtriole” and “partisan politics” made it difficult to seek justice, is building support for Potter and his new law firm. lawyers.
‘They benefit from police training. “And to say that this is just some sort of redemption arc for Ms. Potter going through this training, it sounds really hard to believe that’s the case,” Storms said.
Former prosecutor Imran Ali has teamed up with Potter to make presentations at a law enforcement conference to encourage police departments to make changes that could prevent mistakes like Potter’s.
Ali’s firm proposed a charge of $8,000 for the training session, which includes speaking fees and travel costs, according to the contract.
But the lawyer denies that the conferences are aimed at making money.
“To say my company is trying to profit from an $8,000 contract is ridiculous,” he said.
Ali did not say how much money Potter would make, but said the amount was much less than what he could earn telling his story through a book deal or other project.
Instead, the prosecutor says he is committed to helping law enforcement agencies implement changes that will prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake.
He also argued that the backlash to Potter telling his story, which ultimately led to the conference in Washington being canceled, demonstrates that redemption for those convicted of crimes does not extend to police officers.
“We can give the benefit of the doubt to people who are former Ku Klux Klan members or former skinheads who come and educate, sometimes even our youth,” Ali said. “But we cannot give the authorities that opportunity.”
He noted that Potter reportedly told Washington’s board of directors: “I killed Daunte Wright.” I’m not proud of it. And you shouldn’t be either.
Potter served 16 months in prison on manslaughter charges for the shooting.
Ali, who now works as a law enforcement consultant to ensure police departments implement changes that could prevent more police officers from making Potter’s mistake, said the Washington board’s decision to cancel its participation in conferences represents a disservice to the community.
“I think if we continue to silence thoughtful debate, if we continue to silence training, we will continue to make some mistakes,” he said. he told the Minnesota Star-Tribune.
“This is the definition of why I decided to leave,” he added to the Associated Press.
‘There is someone who recognizes the need for reform, recognizes the need for redemption, recognizes the need to compromise. And still –
“If you work in law enforcement in this country, there is no redemption.”
Ali said he sees the conferences as part of Potter’s redemption arc.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office took over Potter’s prosecution after Ali resigned, has said the former officer’s public expression of remorse could help heal the community.
“The loss of a child in the circumstances in which Daunte Wright died is deeply painful and there is really no way to help anyone understand how bad it feels,” Ellison said. according to the New York Times.
‘At the same time, it is absolutely true that we have to heal. And Kim Potter is doing something brave and something we need more people to do.
“If we don’t, we relegate ourselves to repeating the pain and sadness, and we get stuck in this kind of cycle forever.”
Rachel Moran, a professor specializing in police accountability at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, also argued that Potter’s voice could penetrate a police culture that is skeptical of outside criticism.
“Police officers culturally have a pattern of not wanting to listen to outside perspectives and not believing that other people can understand the situation,” he added.
“So listening to someone who is in their shoes, who is actually willing to admit a mistake, I think has the potential to be heard more by officers than by a stranger.”
Katie Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, has vowed to never forgive Potter for killing her son.
In fact, Ali and Potter have become a regular fixture at Minnesota Sheriff’s Association events.
They held conference training sessions in June and September, with future training scheduled for October. The duo also traveled out of state in May when Potter presented at a law enforcement conference in Indiana, event agendas show.
James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, also said Potter’s upcoming appearance would go ahead, despite the fallout. His organization has a responsibility to learn from the “national moment of unrest” sparked by Potter’s murder of Wright.
“She will be the first to say that she is not a hero and that it was a horrible tragic accident,” Stuart said.
“I understand the concerns and criticism, but I also hope they can understand the value of learning from mistakes and making sure no other family finds themselves in the same situation.”