(NEW YORK) — The trial of former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter charged in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop, continues with Potter taking the stand to testify in her own defense.
Potter, 49, is charged with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 incident. She has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine and for second-degree manslaughter, it’s 10 years and a $20,000 fine.
Wright’s death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place.
Latest headlines:
-Closing arguments begin
-‘I didn’t want to hurt anybody,’ Potter testifies
-Prosecution questions Kim Potter on training
-Kim Potter takes the stand
-New body-cam footage shows Potter moments after shooting Wright
-Daunte Wright’s mother recalls final phone call with son
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 21, 7:24 pm
Jury ends 2nd day of deliberations
The jury has ended their deliberations for the day and is expected to reconvene Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. CT.
Tuesday marked the jury’s first full day of deliberations, following the initial deliberations Monday afternoon that lasted roughly five hours.
In the event a verdict has not been reached by the end of Thursday, the court is expected to take Friday — Christmas Eve — off, as well as this coming weekend.
Judge Regina Chu has repeatedly promised the jury they won’t be stuck in deliberation for the holiday “no matter what.” If deliberations go past Thursday, they may not pick back up again until the following Monday, Dec. 27.
— ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik
Dec 21, 5:47 pm
Jury asks question about not reaching consensus
The jury asked two questions at 5 p.m. ET.
“The first question is: ‘If the jury cannot reach consensus, what is the guidance around how long and what steps should be taken?'” Judge Regina Chu read.
She then re-read some of the juror instructions.
“You should discuss the case with one another and deliberate with a view toward reaching an agreement if you can do so without violating your individual judgment,” Chu said. “You should decide the case for yourself but only after you have discussed the case with your fellow jurors and have carefully considered their views.”
She added, “You should not hesitate to reexamine your views and change your opinion if you believe they are erroneous, but you should not surrender your honest opinion, simply because other jurors disagree or merely to reach a verdict.”
The jury also asked if the zip ties can be removed from Potter’s gun, which has been submitted as evidence so it can be held out of the evidence box.
Chu said yes.
Dec 21, 10:29 am
Jury deliberations resume
The jury has reconvened for its second day of deliberations. The court will not be called into session Tuesday morning.
Dec 20, 8:27 pm
Jury ends deliberations for the day
The jury has ended deliberations for the day after approximately five hours. They will resume Tuesday morning.
During these deliberations, the jury is fully sequestered. They will be allowed to call family members so long as they don’t talk about the trial.
Dec 20, 5:09 pm
Jury asks about psychologist’s interview with Potter
Jurors collectively asked the judge what the date was of Kim Potter’s interview with Dr. Laurence Miller, a psychologist who served as a defense witness.
“All the evidence is in,” Judge Regina Chu told the jury. “So you should rely on your collective memory as to what the evidence is.”
Miller interviewed Potter after the April 11 fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.
Prosecutors wanted to question Miller about the interview, but Chu sustained the defense’s objection against the line of questioning.
The interview was brought up by the prosecution in the cross-examination of Potter on the witness stand.
Prosecutor Erin Eldridge asked Potter about the differences between her answers in her interview with Miller and her testimony on the stand.
Eldridge asked Potter why she told Miller she didn’t know why she decided to use her stun gun, when she testified before the jury that she used it because she saw fear on an accompanying officer’s face.
Eldridge also asked Potter about telling Miller that she saw her gun in her right hand during the incident, though Potter testified that she did not remember much about the incident.
“I was distraught,” Potter responded. “I wasn’t in a good place.”
Eldridge also asked Potter about her resignation following the shooting, in which Potter told Miller that she did it to “protect her police family.”
Dec 20, 2:04 pm
Jury deliberations begin
Judge Regina Chu has read the instructions to the jury and they will now deliberate on the charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter against former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter.
Included in the instructions are reminders of unconscious bias: “We all have feelings, assumptions, perceptions, fears, and stereotypes about others,” Chu read to the jury. “Some biases we are aware of and others we might not be fully aware of, which is why they are called ‘implicit’ or ‘unconscious biases.'”
“The law demands that you make a fair decision, based solely on the evidence, your individual evaluations of that evidence, your reason and common sense, and these instructions,” Chu read from the instructions.
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