Killer female cop Kim Potter’s new career outrages Daunte Wright’s family

The new career of a former female Minnesota police officer has outraged the family of the unarmed Black man she killed in 2021, claiming she is profiting from his death.

Kim Potter, 51, was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter for accidentally shooting and killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright on April 11, 2020, when she mistook her gun for a Taser during a traffic stop.

She was released from prison after just 16 months behind bars, due to her previously clean 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 a life .

Potter and the former prosecutor, Imran Ali, now give presentations at law enforcement conferences about what Ali saw as a path of redemption for the former officer and an opportunity to promote healing in communities shaken by police brutality.

But Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, said the plan amounts to an angry scheme in which her son’s killer would profit from his death and bring back painful memories in the process.

‘I think Kim Potter has had her second chance. She was allowed to go home with her children. That was her second chance,” the still-grieving mother said.

“I think when we look at police officers, if they make citation mistakes, they can still live in our community. They are still allowed to continue their lives. That’s their second chance. We don’t have a second chance to bring back our loved ones.’

Katie had previously vowed at Potter’s sentencing never to forgive her.

‘She shot our little boy through the heart with one shot and shattered mine. She took his future away,” she told a judge.

‘That’s why I’ll never be able to forgive you. I will never be able to forgive you for what you stole from us.”

Meanwhile, Jeff Storms, an attorney for the Wright family, claimed that the description of a presentation Potter was scheduled to give to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis regulatory agency last month seemed more like a promotional piece for officers feeling under siege than a sad story about what happened.

The description in the contract read: ‘The officer and prosecutor who quit in protest will give a dynamic presentation on the truth of what happened, the increased violence and non-compliance directed against law enforcement, the importance of training, and steps we can take in the future.’

Storms said this passage suggests that Ali — who was initially co-counsel in the case against Potter but resigned because “vitriol” and “partisan politics” made it difficult to pursue justice — is offering support to Potter and his new law firm.

“They benefit from law enforcement training. And to say that this is simply some kind of redemption arc for Ms. Potter in going through this training, it sounds very hard to believe that that is the case,” Storms said.

Ali’s firm proposed a fee of $8,000 for the training session, including speaking fees and travel expenses, the contract said.

But the lawyer denies that the speaking engagements are about making money.

“It’s ridiculous to say my company is trying to profit from an $8,000 contract,” he claimed.

Ali did not say how much money Potter would make, but said the amount was far less than what she could make by telling her story through a book deal or other project.

Instead, the prosecutor says he is committed to helping law enforcement agencies make changes that would prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake.

He also argued that the response to Potter telling her story — which ultimately led to the Washington speaking engagement being canceled — shows 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 members of the Ku Klux Klan or former skinheads who come in and educate, sometimes even our youth,” Ali said. “But we can’t give law enforcement that opportunity.”

He noted that Potter allegedly told the Washington administration, “I killed Daunte Wright. I’m not proud of it. And neither should you.”

Ali, who now works as a law enforcement consultant to ensure police departments make changes that could prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake, further claimed that the Washington administration’s decision to cancel their speaking engagement is a disservice to the community.

“I think if we continue to shut down thoughtful discussions, if we continue to shut down training, we’re going to continue to make some mistakes,” he said. told the Minnesota Star-Tribune.

“This is the definition of why I decided to run,” he added to the Associated Press.

“You have someone who recognizes the need for reform, who recognizes the need for redemption, who recognizes the need to commit. And still –

“If you’re in law enforcement in this country, there’s no redemption.”

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 the community heal.

“The loss of a child under the circumstances in which Daunte Wright died is deeply painful and there is simply 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 need to heal. And Kim Potter is doing something brave and something that needs more people.

“If we don’t do that, we relegate ourselves to repeating the pain and sorrow, and we are locked 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 potentially penetrate a law enforcement culture that is skeptical of outside criticism.

“Police officers culturally have a pattern of not wanting to hear outside perspectives and not believing that other people can understand the situation,” she added.

“So when I hear from someone who is very much in their shoes, who is actually willing to admit a mistake, I think it can be heard more by officers than by an outsider.”

Ali and Potter have even become fixtures at Minnesota Sheriff’s Association events.

They conducted training at conferences in June and September, with a future training planned for October. The duo also traveled out of state in May when Potter gave a presentation at a law enforcement conference in Indiana, the event calendar shows.

James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, has also said Potter’s upcoming presentation will go ahead despite the backlash. His organization has a responsibility to learn from the “national moment of unrest” sparked by Potter’s murder of Wright.

“She’ll be the first to say she’s not a hero and it was a horrifically tragic accident,” Stuart said.

“I understand the concerns and the criticism, but I also hope they understand the value of learning from mistakes and ensuring that no other families find themselves in the same situation.”