Daunte Wright’s mother said Friday the guilty verdict against former police officer Kim Potter for fatally shooting Wright isn’t quite justice, but it is accountability, and she’s thankful for it.
“Justice would be Daunte being home. Justice would be no more names being yelled in our streets. And (when) that happens and we don’t have to fight anymore, that’s when true justice will be,” Wright’s mother, Katie Bryant, told CNN’s Erica Hill on “New Day” Friday.
“But right now, we’re going to accept accountability, and we’re thankful for that.”
Potter, the White former Minnesota police officer who drew her gun instead of a Taser and fatally shot Wright during a traffic stop, was found guilty Thursday of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the 20-year-old Black man’s death.
Potter, 49, had pleaded not guilty to the charges in connection with the April 11 shooting in Brooklyn Center, near Minneapolis.
Bryant was asked Friday what she wanted people to know about Wright, who was a father to a toddler.
“Daunte was my son. He had a smile that would light up the room. He was a father. He was – he had his whole life ahead of him. And he was taken too soon, and we weren’t able to see what he was going to become,” Bryant said.
“And we were left with memories, but they were amazing memories.”
She was also asked what she would tell her grandson about his dad.
“That his dad is a part of history. And his name won’t be forgotten, and that he loved him,” Bryant said.
She said she is hopeful that Potter’s sentence will be fair.
The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison. Since Potter, 49, has no criminal history, Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence roughly between 6 and 8.5 years in prison.
“No amount of time is going to be justice for us,” Bryant said. “But I am … optimistic that they’re going to do the right thing and give her a fair sentence.”