A former Minnesota police officer, convicted in 2022 of fatally shooting a Black driver after mistakenly grabbing her gun instead of her Taser during a traffic stop, has been released from prison and now works as a speaker at law enforcement conferences.
The manslaughter case involving Kim Potter has ignited a debate over how officers convicted of misconduct should be held accountable.
Potter’s reemergence comes more than three years after she shot Daunte Wright in the chest at close range after shouting “Taser! Taser! Taser!” just before firing her service pistol instead. The 20-year-old victim was pronounced dead minutes later.
The following year, Potter was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years. She served 16 months for the crime and has since reinserted herself into the ongoing debate over rampant police killings of innocent Black men. In Wright’s case, he was unarmed, though he was being sought on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court related to a charge of misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a permit.
Additionally, Wright had a history of previous charges, including a gross misdemeanor for fleeing police in a motor vehicle. Potter immediately claimed she had made a fatal mistake.
Following her release from prison, Potter met with Imran Ali, the former prosecutor who resigned in the middle of the case against her, to discuss helping other officers avoid deadly mistakes like hers, which spring-boarded a new public speaking career.
Eventually, Potter teamed up with Ali after he transitioned to a role as a law enforcement consultant. He emphasized that his current work aims to assist police departments in enacting reforms to ensure officers do not make the same tragic mistake as Potter.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Ali said he viewed Potter’s new role as a step toward redemption for her grave error and as a chance to foster healing in communities already impacted by police misconduct.
However, Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, strongly disagreed, calling the plan an infuriating scheme that allows her son’s killer to profit from his death while reopening old wounds for the victim’s family.
“I think that Kim Potter had her second chance. She got to go home with her children. That was her second chance,” Wright said, according to AP.
Wright’s mother expressed her discomfort with Potter’s newfound visibility in the public sphere, particularly so soon after her son’s death. She emphasized that it feels wrong for someone who took her son’s life to be receiving attention and opportunities while the family continues to grieve their loss.
“I think that when we’re looking at police officers when they’re making quote-unquote mistakes, they still get to live in our community. They still get to continue their lives. That’s their second chance. We don’t have a second chance to be able to bring our loved ones back.”
Ali said he couldn’t recall the full presentation but said Potter had planned to use the opening line: “I killed Daunte Wright. I’m not proud of it, and neither should you be,” as part of the speech she was set to deliver to police officials in Washington state.
Potter’s appearance was abruptly canceled in September following backlash sparked by local news reports. However, other law enforcement groups, including one of Minnesota’s largest, have expressed interest in having Potter speak in their jurisdictions.
Katie Wright reposted a meme on Facebook on Oct. 2 lambasting Potter.
“Kim Potter is one of the worst scums walking this earth. I will never forget how this privileged piece of white trash got away with murder. I’ll never forget how the state [of] Minnesota protected that white piece of trash,” the post says.
Jeff Storms, the attorney for the Wright family, stated that the outline of the Washington training session, as detailed in the contract created by Ali’s law firm, resembles more of a promotional piece designed for police officers who feel under siege, rather than a genuine account of Potter’s remorse.
“The officer and the prosecutor who quit in protest will deliver a dynamic presentation on the truth of what occurred, the increased violence and non-compliance directed towards law enforcement, the importance of training, and steps we can take in the future,” says the contract for the training session, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
Storms accused Ali of promoting a narrative that benefits Potter and his law firm rather than focusing on genuine accountability and reform.
“They profit from law enforcement training. And so to say this is simply about sort of a redemption arc for Ms. Potter in doing this training, it sounds really hard to believe that that’s the case,” Storms said.
According to the contract, Ali’s firm outlined an $8,000 fee for the training session, which includes both speaking fees and travel expenses.
“To say my firm is trying to benefit off an $8,000 contract is ridiculous,” Ali said.
He didn’t specify how much money Potter would receive but mentioned that it was significantly less than what she could potentially earn by sharing her story through a book deal or other ventures.
Potter’s supporters believe scrapping her presentation is a missed opportunity, suggesting she could provide a crucial warning for officers who confront split-second, life-or-death choices on the job.
Ali pointed out that the criticism surrounding Potter’s presentation reflects a belief that the chance for redemption should not apply to police officers who have been convicted of crimes.
“We can give the benefit of the doubt to people that are former Ku Klux Klan members or former skinheads that come in and educate, sometimes even our youth,” Ali said. “But we cannot give law enforcement that chance.”
Ali initially worked as co-counsel in the case against Potter but stepped down, stating that “vitriol” and “partisan politics” conflicted with his principles.
“This is the definition of why I decided to walk away. You have somebody that recognizes the need for reform, recognizes the need for redemption, recognizes the need to engage. And still,” Ali said. “If you’re in law enforcement in this country, there is no redemption.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office handled the prosecution of Potter following Ali’s resignation, stated that her public remorse may play a role in helping the community recover.
Daunte Wright was killed on April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, just 10 miles from where the trial for George Floyd’s murder was taking place. Wright’s death triggered protests as Minneapolis and other cities were still grappling with the aftermath of Floyd’s killing. A jury found Potter guilty of manslaughter, but the judge noted that she never meant to harm Wright and sentenced her to two years in prison. After serving 16 months, she was released and later reconnected with Imran Ali.
“I was like, wow. Even after being convicted, even after being driven out of your home, even after having so many death threats against you and having been incarcerated, you just don’t want to go away,” Ali said.
The duo has become a regular presence at events organized by the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association. They conducted training sessions at conferences in June and September, with another session planned for October. Additionally, they took their presentation out of state in May when Potter spoke at a law enforcement conference in Indiana, according to event agendas.
