Don't do it. On April 11th, 2021 in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, body cam footage captured a routine traffic stop involving Dante Wright that quickly escalated. Minnesota statute section 169.19 governing traffic regulations supports the initial stop stating no person shall make a turn without giving an appropriate signal. Officers including Kim Potter pulled right over for expired tags and an air freshener hanging from his rear view mirror, a common violation in Minnesota. After learning Wright had an outstanding warrant, officers attempted to arrest him. The video shows Potter instructing have him step out while officer Anthony Lucky approached the driver's side and struggled to handcuff right who resisted and tried to re-enter his car. Use of force expert Gerald Takano noted the officer didn't fully position the suspect before going to cuffs, highlighting how small errors in technique escalated the situation. Potter's subsequent actions, yelling taser before firing her handgun, underscored a catastrophic weapons mixup confusion that unfolded rapidly. [Music] You got to watch one. Don't do it. Just stay back. Yes. [ __ ] gun. I shot him. Oh my gosh. [Applause] [Music] 19 PI exit 63rd Catherine Drive 38 stop on the red. Put your hands up. Put your hands up. [Music] Put your hands up. Put your hands up. [Music] Put your hands up. Put them up. Are you okay? Just put your hands up. Reconnected. Several at gunpoint. 63rd Captain Drive. Start north on the reds and start two rigs. We've got a civilian car injured as well. Soon as we get additional cars, I'll check for injuries. Suspects are not compliant. They're moving around. Put your hands up. [Music] [Music] Hey sir, stay there. Stay there. Put your hands up. Lower the window. [Music] Lower the window. [Music] Ma'am, are you okay? Stay there. Stay there. [Music] 329. We'll take two red. Stage them a couple blocks out. What's that? 3219. The driver is not breathing. I'll take an additional squad and we'll yank him out. But get him here on the reds. I'm by myself holding him a gun. Yeah. Just park my squad, not yours. Park with my squad. Take a breath. You okay? Take a breath. Okay. [Music] To mention I can make it three rigs. I got one male not breathing, one female with facial lacerations, and then I've got another civilian car that I have not been able to check on yet. 325. We'll take anybody that's available. We need additional arriving. Incoming squad, come to me at 63rd Cavern so we can get the driver out and the passenger. And then we'll have to check on anyone else after. But the driver is not breathing according to the passenger. broke apart. Passenger's moving around. I can't see him, but we're going to need to educate him that he's not breathing. So, I'll wait for additional to come up with a plan. Okay. So, a female passenger brought up breathing, free from the traffic stop and then they crashed. 329. The suspect and a gun that is a three from 38 stop. [Music] Ma'am, get out of the car. Passenger, get out of the car. [Music] Get out of the car. Get out of the car so we can take care of him. Get out of the car. Yes, you get out of the car so we can help him. Get out of the car if you got one. As soon as we're cold here, I'm going to get all that. Copy that. Ma'am, put your hands up. Keep your hands out of your pocket. Just don't worry about that. Don't worry about that. Who's also going to come? Huh? Nobody. Hey, just drop it. Just let it go. I got it. I got it. I will give it to you. Put your hands behind your back. You're not under arrest. Just put your hands behind your back. Okay. You're not under arrest. Put your hands behind your back. Who else is in the car? Nobody. There's nobody else in the car. It's just you. Him? Who's he? Dante. Does he have a No, just you and Dante. Uh, just one other person inside. Huh? [Music] Got one out of the car. Still got two in there. [Music] That'll work. That's it. Okay. Oh, we see one in the front passenger seat. You guys want to come up from behind? You think so? All right. Bring it around there. You can do it. You can bring it around. Copy that. 2011. status expire. Yeah. Is there another person? No. No, that's all I can see. She doesn't say there's anyone else. I couldn't really see cuz she was moving around so much. [Music] later. We're going to cover the view status coming up. Jesus [ __ ] Christ. Yeah, he's probably not going to make it. What's that? That transfire. What's that? Oh, he did. I didn't fire. I got your The body cam video starkly illustrates the moment Kim Potter mistook her gun for a taser. Minnesota statute section 609.066 defining use of deadly force permits it only when an officer reasonably believes it's necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. In the footage, Potter shouts, "Taser, taser." before firing a single shot. Prosecutors argued this was reckless as department policy restricts taser use on fleeing suspects. Defense attorney Paul Angered, "She made a mistake. This was an accident." Use of force expert Shaun Hendrickson suggested cognitive overload may explain the error, noting, "You draw a gun and believe it's a taser." The video's 90 seconds revealed not just the weapon's confusion, but procedural lapses like Potter holding a piece of paper instead of assisting Lucky, amplifying the tragedy. Hang on Facebook Live so you can kill my son. That's pretty pathetic. What is your What is your name? What is your name? My name is Katie Bryant. My son's name is Dante, right? You guys already know that. I don't I don't Katie Brian. It was a highspeed chase. Ryan. How? And then what's your son's name? Dante. Ryan was not a high-speed chase. You guys shot him in a pullover traffic. I Yeah, you did. He was landing his foot dead. His girlfriend Facebook me. How did his car get smashed? [Music] Right. Right. Is it Is it WT? Is it the Katie? Yeah. Bryant. Yeah. All right. Wait a second. Your m In December 2021, Kim Potter faced trial for first and seconddegree manslaughter with body cam video playing a pivotal role in court. Minnesota statute section 609.25 defines manslaughter as causing death through reckless or negligent conduct. Turning to defendants requests for a dispositional departure. There is no question that Ms. Potter is extremely remorseful. She showed that today. She showed that um when it happened. It is also beyond dispute that she is particularly amenable to probation. But the court retains the discretion to make departure decisions independently. The court is not required to depart even where mitigating factors are present. And that's set forth in state versus Bir 689 Northwest 2nd 276 affirmed by the Supreme Court 707 Northwest 2nd 660. This has been an extremely difficult decision. In making my decision, I look to the purposes of incarceration. There are four. Retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Three of the four would not be served in this case. Incapacitation refers to the physical removal of a convicted person to prevent them from committing future crimes. That is not an issue in this case. Kimberly Potter does not present a danger of future crimes. Obviously, deterrence refers to the prevention of future crime and the idea that those who have committed crimes will be discouraged from reoffending after experiencing punishment. That purpose would not be served here. Rehabilitation is also not a purpose that would justify incarceration in this case. Ms. Potter does not require rehabilitation to become a lawabiding citizen. Retribution or serving time as a way for a convicted person to pay for the harm inflicted on a victim is the sole purpose that applies in this case. And in this case, a young man was killed because Officer Potter was reck reckless. There rightfully should be some accountability. Sentencing guidelines are just that. They are guidelines that inform a judge regarding sentencing for various crimes. They are not set in stone. The court has the discretion to depart from guidelines depending on the particular facts of a case. A downward durational departure is justified if a crime is less ownorous than typical. Put another way, if the conduct is significantly less serious than that typically involved in the commission of the crime, sentencing below the guidelines is justified. I find the facts and circumstances here justify a downward departure from the guidelines. First, Officer Potter's conduct was significantly less serious than your typical manslaughter case. The misdemeanor predicate for the manslaughter count was reckless handling or use of a firearm. Here, everybody agrees and the evidence is undisputed that officer Potter never intended to use her firearm. She mistakenly drew her firearm at all times intending to use her taser. There were police officers and experts who testified that the use of her taser was reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances circumstances presented for officer safety reasons. The fact she never intended to draw her firearm makes this case less serious than other cases. Second, the scene was chaotic, tense, and rapidly evolving. Officer Potter was required to make a splitsecond judgment that constitutes a mitigating circumstance. Finally, unlike other manslaughter one cases, Officer Potter's actions were not driven by personal animosity toward Dante Wright. Instead, she was acting in the line of duty and effectuating a lawful arrest. This case is highly unusual. The other officer cases tried in this court are distinguishable. This is not a cop found guilty of murder for using his knee to pin down a person for 9 and 1/2 minutes as he gasped for air. This is not a cop found guilty of manslaughter for intentionally drawing his firearm and shooting across his partner and killing an unarmed woman who appro approached his squad. This is a cop who made a tragic mistake. She drew her firearm thinking it was a taser and ended up killing a young man. Miss Potter, will you please rise? Given all these considerations and having carefully considered the comments of the family of both Dante Wright and the comments of Kimberly Potter as well as the arguments of counsel. It is the sentence and judgment of this court that you shall be committed to the custody of the commissioner of corrections for a period of 24 months. You shall serve 2/3 of that time or 16 months in prison and a third on supervised release assuming no disciplinary disciplinary offenses or conditional release violations. You have credit for 58 days already served. Restitution will be reserved. There'll be a fine of $1,000 and a search charge of $78 to be taken out of prison wages or due within $180 days. You must provide a DNA sample. You may not use or possess any firearms, ammunition, or explosives. You have the right to appeal the conviction and sentence. If you are unable to pay the cost of of an appeal, you may apply for leave to appeal at state expense by contacting the state public defender. You may be seated, Miss Potter. I'd like to make a few parting comments. I recognize there will be those who disagree with this sentence. That I granted a significant downward departure does not in any way diminish Dante Wright's life. His life mattered. And to those who disagree and feel a longer prison sentence is appropriate, as difficult as it may be, please try to empathize with Ms. Potter's situation. As President Barack Obama once said, learning to stand in somebody else's shoes, to see through their eyes, that's how peace begins. And it's up to you to make that happen. Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world. Officer Kimberly Potter was trying to do the right thing. Of all the jobs in public service, police officers have the most difficult one. They must make snap decisions under tense, evolving, and everchanging circumstances. They risk their lives every single day in public service. Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically. She never intended to hurt anyone. Her conduct cries out for a sentence significantly below the guidelines. Okay, thank you. Potter was convicted on both counts, but Judge Regina Chu imposed a 24-month sentence with 16 months in prison, a significant downward departure from sentencing guidelines. Chu justified this, stating, "Officer Potter's conduct was significantly less serious than your typical manslaughter case." Citing the accidental nature and Potter's intent to use a taser, Potter expressed remorse, apologizing to Wright's family. The prosecution argued for accountability with Aaron Eldridge asserting, "This case is about an officer who failed." Despite public outcry, Chu emphasized empathy. Quoting Barack Obama, "Learning to stand in somebody else's shoes. That's how peace begins." The sentence reflected retribution, but acknowledged Potter's 26-year service and lack of future risk. Do you think the sentencing is justified? Let me know in the comment. Like and subscribe for more police cam stories. Watch the next recommended video. Click to watch now.