Photo courtesy of NPR
In a recent interview, one of the jurors from the Kim Potter trial shared their thoughts on finding the ex-police officer guilty after the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April 2021.
The unidentified juror said Potter still committed a crime, regardless of her status as a 26-year-veteran– or the fact that she allegedly didn’t mean to kill Wright.
On Thursday, Dec. 23, a Hennepin County, Minnesota, jury compiled of six men and six women found Potter guilty of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter in Wright’s death.
The former police officer reportedly shot and killed Wright as he tried to flee a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center after learning he would be arrested on an outstanding warrant. When she thought she had grabbed her taser, she instead grabbed and fired her gun.
A rookie cop on duty training with Potter testified during the trial, stating that Wright never reached for her gun, while initial reports after the incident claimed he did. Potter’s bodycam displayed the encounter and her yelling “Taser!” before fatally shooting the 20-year-old in his chest.
During an exclusive interview with KARE 11, the juror opened up about the deliberation process and fellow jurors arguing over semantics but never questioned the facts.
The group was precise as they reviewed all facts and the judge’s instructions during deliberation. However, the language of the law challenged the person’s early opinions regarding the case after both parties provided their closing arguments.
All jury members initiated a vote and went through a series of “temperature checks” after 27 hours of debating the case.
“Initially, for both counts, we were predominantly ‘guilty.’ For Count 1, it was seven for guilty, and the remainders were either “not guilty” or didn’t know,” the juror said.
“Then for Count 2, eight said guilty, two said not guilty, and two didn’t know. The day that we asked the judge what would happen if we can’t reach a decision, we were evenly split on Manslaughter 1 at four guilty, four not guilty, and four ‘I have no idea.'”
The juror added, “At that point, we were just arguing semantics and kind of in circles. This case was interesting because there weren’t really facts that were in dispute. It was more our interpretation of our jury instructions and the law. Those last couple days were literally just focusing in on the language of the law.”
CNN reported that legal experts who reviewed the case were surprised that the jury did not return with a hung jury or a mistrial.
Sara Azari, a criminal defense attorney, told the news network, “Three to five years ago, this would be a full acquittal, not even a concern over a mistrial. So the fact that we are now seeing more accountability for officers — the idea they are not above the law, that if they do the crime, they do the time, [is great].”
Though the jury did not question Potter or Wright’s character during the trial, the juror said they did not believe the Minnesota ex-police officer was racist, a liar, or a bad person.
“I don’t think any juror felt Kim Potter was a liar, but we did get the feeling she was fighting for her life by testifying,” the juror said. “I was very surprised after the verdict came out to learn some people did not find her crying to be real. … It felt very real and tangible to me. She seemed very upset and apologetic. … It’s ludicrous that some people are assuming we thought she was a racist.”
“We felt she made a mistake, and that a mistake does not absolve you from the fact she did commit a crime. Being a good person doesn’t mean you’re above the law,” the person exclaimed.
While the individual felt compassion for the accused, they also considered the deceased’s family was the “hardest part” of the trial for the juror.
“We had been thinking about what this meant for Daunte Wright’s family,” the juror said.
“[For the] family, I just felt a strong sense of loss. And I know there has been this news about accusations that Daunte was not a good person. But that’s just not something we were aware of as juror members or thought of,” said the person.
“Even now, that doesn’t change my opinion on the tragic loss of life that happened. I feel really bad for Daunte’s family. It was hard having them on the witness stand. You can tell Daunte meant a lot to them. And it’s hard to think about Daunte’s son. I think that’s the hardest part for me.”
The jury’s racial makeup included nine jurors who identified as white, one was Black, and two were Asian. The two alternate jurors, a man, and a woman, identified as white.