SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on Aug. 20, 2022.
Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter is no longer behind bars, released from Shakopee women's prison early Monday after serving two-thirds of her manslaughter sentence for fatally shooting Daunte Wright.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) confirms Potter was released at 4 a.m., under cover of darkness due to "elevated concern" for her safety, after criminal intelligence analysts uncovered what the department called threatening comments and the potential for violent protests outside the prison facility.
“Based on the intelligence we gathered, we released Ms. Potter at a time we felt was safest for her and for everyone at the correctional facility,” Skoogman said.
Potter, now 50 years old, was sentenced to two years in prison after a Hennepin County jury found her guilty of manslaughter for shooting Wright during a traffic stop. She and her defense team claimed Potter mistakenly pulled her firearm instead of a taser when Wright failed to comply with officers' orders.
The former officer will be on supervised release until Dec. 21, 2023, when her sentence will be complete. Potter will serve her supervised release in the state of Wisconsin, as the state of Minnesota is part of the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision (ICAOS), along with 49 other states and three U.S. Territories. This interstate compact provides states the authority, accountability, and resources to provide supervision for those like Potter, who relocate across state lines.
Here are some of the terms of Potter's release she must honor to maintain her freedom.
- Must maintain contact with the agent/designee as directed and comply with all agent directives and instructions. Must remain in the State of Minnesota unless granted written approval from the agent/designee, and the offender must keep the agent informed of his or her residence and activities.
- Must submit to any unannounced visits or searches by the agent/designee of the offender's person, residence, possessions, cell phone, vehicle, or premises. The offender must comply with all drug or alcohol testing as directed by the agent/designee.
- Must refrain from purchasing, possessing, accessing, or controlling any type of firearm, ammunition, or dangerous weapon, including replica weapons. The offender must not be found in the presence of a firearm, including those found in a vehicle where the offender is also present.
- Must remain law abiding and refrain from engaging in any behavior that violates local, state, or federal law. Any credible evidence demonstrating that an offender has been charged with a violation of law is considered grounds to hold the offender in custody unless and until the offender is found not guilty. The offender must inform the agent/designee within 24 hours of any court appearance or contact with law enforcement.
- Must refrain from engaging in any assaultive, abusive, violent, harassing, stalking, or threatening behavior, or other behavior that poses a risk to the public.
- Must refrain from direct or indirect contact with any person deemed to be a victim by the Department of Corrections, any person listed in a criminal justice agency report as a victim, or anyone whom a court has determined is in need of protection as demonstrated by a current or previous order for protection, harassment restraining order, or domestic abuse no-contact order, without prior documented approval of the agent/designee.
- Must not leave the receiving state without written approval of the agent/designee from the receiving state.
While the state of Minnesota set the terms of Potter's release, authorities in Wisconsin are now responsible for ensuring she complies with them or return to custody.
The downward departure by then-Judge Regina Chur when she sentenced Potter to just two years in prison drew outcries from Wright's family and parts of the greater community. The state attorney general’s office, which prosecuted the case, had sought a sentence recommended by state guidelines of just over seven years in prison.
Potter, a 26-year police veteran, apologized to Wright’s family at the sentencing and spoke directly to his mother: “Katie, I understand a mother’s love. I’m sorry I broke your heart ... my heart is broken and devastated for all of you.”
On Monday Daunte's mother Katie Wright told CNN that she has been “dreading” Potter’s release and is struggling to find peace. Wright said she suffered a stroke that left her temporarily with blurred vision following the stress of Potter’s trial and conviction.
“Some say I should forgive to be at peace but how can I? I am so angry. She is going to be able to watch her kids have kids and be able to touch them,” Katie Wright told CNN. “I am always scared I am going to forget my son’s voice. It gave us some sense of peace knowing she would not be able to hold her sons. She has two. I can’t hold my son.”
Katie Wright said Potter not being able to serve as a police officer again has given her “a sense of peace.”
“She will never be able to hurt anybody as a police officer again,” Katie Wright said. “That is the only sense of peace we get as a family.”
Potter's attorney Earl Gray told CNN that his client will not return to Minnesota, and will live in Wisconsin.
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