Judge Regina Chu said the lesser sentence was warranted because Potter was “in the line of duty and doing her job in attempting to lawfully arrest Daunte Wright” when she said she mistook her gun for her Taser.
A former US police officer who shot dead a young African-American man after mistaking her gun for her Taser has been sentenced to two years in prison after an emotional court hearing.
"This is a cop who made a tragic mistake," said Judge Regina Chu on Friday.
Chu became emotional as she delivered the sentence of 24 months, two-thirds of which is to be served in prison and the remaining third on supervised release.
Kim Potter, 49, was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter for shooting Daunte Wright in the chest during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb, in April 2021.
Chu rejected the prosecution's request that Potter be given seven years in prison and sentenced her to two years, of which the former officer will have to serve at least 16 months.
"This is one of the saddest cases I've had in my 20 years on the bench," Chu said.
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'Tragic error'
"On the one hand, a young man was killed and on the other a respected 26-year veteran police officer made a tragic error by pulling her handgun instead of her Taser."
"I recognize there will be those who disagree with the sentence," the judge said. "There is no question that Ms. Potter is extremely remorseful.
"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," Chu said, wiping away tears.
Chu's sentencing came after Wright's mother, Katie Wright, other members of the Wright family, and Potter herself addressed the court.
"I'll never be able to forgive you for what you've stolen from us," Katie Wright said. "She took our baby boy with a single gunshot through the heart. She shattered mine.
"He had so much life ahead of him," she added of her son, who was 20 years old when he died and the father of a baby boy. "You took his future, what he could have been."
A sobbing Potter told the Wright family she was sorry.
"I understand a mother's love and I am sorry I broke your heart," she told Daunte Wright's mother. "I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly."
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