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'Took our baby boy': Katie Wright furious over ex-cop Kim Potter's release who fatally shot her son Daunte by mistake

On April 11, 2020, ex-cop Kim Potter mistakenly shot Daunte Wright while attempting to use her Taser and was sentenced to a seven year prison time

PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA: A mother of a slain son is furious over the decision to release a former cop who accidentally shot him when she mistook her taser for her gun during a traffic halt in Minnesota on April 11, 2020. Mother of Daunte Wright, Katie Wright said ex-veteran Kim Potter's "incarceration was just a moment in time," but added, "She cursed us with a forever life sentence."

Potter, 50, was convicted of first and second-degree manslaughter in February 2022 and served her sentence at the Shakopee Minnesota Correctional Facility. At the time, Wright had slammed Potter's sentencing for killing her son, Daunte Wright, which was far from the guidelines of nearly seven years and the fifteen-year maximum the state of Minnesota allows for first-degree manslaughter. "Even though we didn't get the accountability that we really wanted, she will never be able to mistake a Taser and a gun ever again for the rest of her life," Katie said.

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Lead prosecutor Keith Ellison had sought a seven-year term and had until May 2022 to appeal Judge Regina Chu's sentence. But he later accepted the sentence and urged others to do the same. "As Ms. Potter leaves prison, I wish her success in her reentry, as I do for all people reentering society from incarceration," Ellison said in a statement. "My deepest sympathies, however, remain with Daunte Wright, his family, and his young child who will grow up without a father." In addition, Potter will serve a further eight months on probation starting Monday, April 24. 

What really happened between Kim Potter and Daunte Wright?

Potter and other cops had stopped Daunte, 20, for expired license tags while there was a warrant out for his arrest. The suspect then tried to drive away, prompting Potter to reach for her taser. In bodycam footage, Potter can be heard repeatedly shouting, "I'll tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!" However, moments after she fired a round, the officer immediately realized, "I grabbed the wrong f****** gun." She collapsed on the ground in despair and began to cry, "I shot him. Oh my God." At the time of the sentencing, Judge Chu took pity on the ex-cop and highlighted her guilt. Potter's clean background also resulted in her shortened time in jail.

'My heart is broken for all of you!'

Potter weepingly apologized to Daunte's family and said, "To the family of Daunte Wright. I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father brother uncle, and the rest of your family," reported Daily Mail. "To your mom Katie, I understand a mother's love and I am sorry I broke your heart. My heart is broken for all of you." But heartbroken Katie looked directly at Potter, told her she would "never forgive" her, and asked Judge Regina Chu not to show leniency. "She left our world with so much darkness and heartache," Katie said.

"The best way I can explain is that I feel a sinking feeling every day that a mother gets when she realizes her kid is missing in a grocery store and you can't see him, feel him, know if he's safe. Daunte was only 20. He had so much of his life ahead of him. She took our baby boy with a single gunshot through the heart and she shattered mine. She took his future." She added, "For that, I will never be able to forgive you. I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us."