During a traffic stop arrest in Minnesota last year, Kim Potter, a former police officer, was sentenced to two years in jail for fatally shooting Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old African-American man. The officer was initially charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter, but Hennepin County District Court Judge Regina Chu reduced the defendant’s sentence on Friday, February 17, 2022, based on an empathetic plea. First-degree manslaughter has a maximum term of 15 years, while second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. In Minnesota, judges typically impose seven and four years in prison for first- and second-degree manslaughter, respectively.
On the other hand, Potter will serve just 16 months (two-thirds of her sentence) in prison and eight months (one-third) on supervised release. She has already spent 58 years in jail, which will be counted against her. Several people were dissatisfied with the hearing, and many turned to social media to criticize Judge Chu for her “dramatic downward” verdict on Kim Potter’s penalty. According to Judge Chu, the officer was only convicted for first-degree manslaughter since second-degree manslaughter is a lesser offense. She further described her act as a “tragic error” and said it was not deliberate.
Judge Regina Chu: Everything You Need to Know
The high-profile Kim Potter trial is being presided over by Judge Regina Chu. Governor Jesse Ventura nominated her to her seat on July 22, 2002, and she was re-elected three times in 2004, 2010, and 2016. According to Minnesota Courts, the judge received a B.A. cum laude from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1975 and her law degree in 1980.
According to Ballotpedia, Chu started her legal career as a court clerk in Hennepin County in 1977 before moving on to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1980. She was named a special assistant attorney general in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Between 1985 to 1993, the judge worked as an attorney and was a partner at Bassford, Lockhart, Truesdell & Briggs. From 1993 until 1996, she was an attorney and partner at Wilson & Chu.
Chu worked as a single attorney under Regina M. Chu, P.A. from 1997 until her judicial appointment in 2002. The Chu also sits on the Hennepin County Pro Bono Project Committee, the Civil Litigation Section Council, and the Minnesota District Judges Civil Jury Instruction Guides Committee. She is also on the board of Asian Women United of Minnesota.
Judge Regina Chu#KimPotter #DuanteWright pic.twitter.com/tBr0Xg5OCj
— Law of Self Defense (@LawSelfDefense) November 30, 2021
Judge Chu is being chastised on Twitter for his decision in the Kim Potter case.
On Friday, Kim Potter trial judge Regina Chu imposed a reduced two-year sentence for the police officer. According to the court, Potter earned a lighter punishment since she attempted to use her taser instead of a pistol during the deadly shooting of Daunte Wright. Potter was sentenced to prison for the “damage she perpetrated” on the victim’s family, but she did not deserve to spend seven years in prison, according to the Chu:
“This is a police officer who made a catastrophic mistake.” She pulled her weapon, mistaking it for a Taser, and killed a young guy. She had no intention of hurting anybody. Her behavior begs for a sentence well below the recommendations.”
Following the judgment, Judge Regina Chu was chastised on social media for giving Kim Potter an empathy plea and announcing a possibly reduced sentence for the officer. The Chu said that although prosecutors asserted aggravating elements in the case, the state failed to substantiate the aggravating factors. The judge also said that she received “hundreds of hundreds” of sympathy letters describing Potter as “a lady who positively affected many people.”
#DaunteWright‘s girlfriend testified how police failed to give him medical attention after shooting him during a traffic stop: “I was the only one… trying to help him.”
Witnesses say police waited 4 minutes to help Wright. Kim Potter faces a max 15 yrs in prison for his death. pic.twitter.com/lpfciSMMA0
— AJ+ (@ajplus) December 10, 2021
What did Kim Potter do?
Kim Potter pulled over Daunte Wright on April 11, 2021, after detecting an air freshener in his rearview mirror. Other officers noticed Wright’s expired tabs. During the inquiry, officers found a warrant for Wright’s arrest for failing to appear in court on a weapons charge and escaping police the previous summer.
Wright apparently tried to drive away from trainee officer Anthony Luckey and resist arrest. Kim Potter responded by issuing a taser warning to the guy. During the short altercation, however, she mistook the pistol for the taser and shot at Wright. Wright was shot on the left side, a single bullet entering his heart and lung. Following the assault, his automobile rolled several blocks and collided with another vehicle, killing the victim on the spot.
