Kim Potter juror says difference between taser and gun lead guilty verdict

Source: KEREM YUCEL / Getty

Last week, people rejoiced that the woman who killed unarmed Daunte Wright, former Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter, was found guilty of manslaughter after claiming that she “accidentally” drew her service pistol instead of her taser while attempting to subdue the then 20-year-old.

Recently, jurors have begun to speak publicly about the trial and how they perceived the evidence that they were shown by both the defense and the prosecution. According to a report on CBS7, an anonymous juror gave an interview that uncovers some interesting revelations about how they came to a verdict. Additionally, the juror spoke directly to what they felt about Potter’s character and whether or not she was racist or biased in any way.

“I don’t want to speak for all the jurors, but I think we believed she was a good person and even believed she was a good cop,” the juror said. “No one felt she was intentional in this. It’s ludicrous that some people are assuming we thought she was a racist. That never came up or anything like that. We felt like she was a good person, 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. I don’t think anyone felt she wanted to kill anybody that day. … This was just a tragedy all the way around.”

The anonymous juror went on to say that they do not believe that Potter lied on the stand about her intentions that day. They believe that she was legitimately fighting for her life at that moment. However, when the jury was able to physically inspect both a taser and duty weapon, they felt that they had no choice but to find her guilty of a crime.

“The gun was about twice as heavy, and the two weapons had several differences in how they are un-holstered and fired,” the juror said. “The Taser kind of feels like a mouse click whereas the (pistol’s) trigger has some trigger draw weight.”

This is what Black gun owners have been saying ever since the case became public. It’s nearly impossible to not know the difference between the two objects, especially for a trained professional.

For the “stop resisting” crowd who want Potter to go free and place full blame on Daunte Wright for his own death, the rational juror said essentially that two things can be true.

“We did talk about Daunte’s actions, but we as a jury did a really good job of separating his actions from Kim Potter’s actions,” the juror said. “Daunte’s actions clearly had consequences. So did Kim Potter’s.”

Now, we wait to see if Potter gets the recommended 7-year sentence or if prosecutors push for more time.