A white police officer in the United States is said to have pulled her pistol instead of a Taser. A black man dies. The gunman must be in custody. The victims’ relatives are still very disappointed.
In the case of the killing of the African American Daunte Wright in the USA, the white ex-cop Kim Potter has to go to prison for 16 months for manslaughter.
Potter could serve another eight months of her two-year sentence under supervision, Judge Regina Chu said on Friday at the sentencing hearing in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The jury found the 49-year-old guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter shortly before Christmas. The case had roiled the United States. After the death of the 20-year-old, there were massive protests.
First-degree manslaughter carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. The judge emphasized on Friday that she did not want to belittle Wright’s death with the light sentence. Potter made a tragic mistake. “The fact that she never intended to draw her gun makes this case less serious than other cases,” Chu said. Relatives of Wright had demanded a harsh sentence.
Shot dead in police action
Wright was shot and killed during a police operation north of Minneapolis in April. The ex-official had claimed that she had mistakenly drawn her pistol instead of a stun gun (taser). She had handed in her resignation after the incident. Wright died just a few miles from the Minneapolis courtroom where the trial of George Floyd’s brutal death was taking place. Floyd was also killed in a police operation.
Katie Wright, the victim’s mother, criticized the lenient sentence. “We are very disappointed with the result,” she said. Before the verdict was announced, the defendant tearfully addressed the Wright family: “I’m so sorry that I hurt you so much.” She was heartbroken and devastated that she had caused so much suffering. She prays every day for the Wright family and that one day they will be able to forgive them.
Brother is convinced of murder
Katie Wright had just said to Potter: “I will never be able to forgive you for what you stole from us.” The victim’s brother, Damyk Bryant, said: “We know the charge is manslaughter, but we believe what happened to Daunte was murder.” Daunte Wright’s son’s mother, Chyna Whitaker, had called for the maximum possible sentence for former police officer Potter.
Potter testified during the trial that she accidentally shot Wright at the traffic stop. Her attorney had said it was an unfortunate mistake, not a crime. Wright tried to escape when officers tried to handcuff him on a gun warrant. The prosecution had argued that the accused had acted negligently and recklessly. Wright’s death was avoidable.
In German legal usage, manslaughter of the first degree probably corresponds most closely to manslaughter. Second-degree manslaughter, on the other hand, corresponds more closely to negligent homicide.
Source: Stern
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