Former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter was convicted of both first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright earlier this year while conducting a traffic stop.
Many in the new media world followed the high-profile case, and when the conviction came down on Thursday night, there was plenty of reaction.
Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro stated that she was “stunned” upon learning the guilty verdict during her appearance on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”
“I must tell you; I was stunned at the verdict. It is a kind of verdict that, you know, none of us really expected, especially manslaughter in the first degree,” Pirro said.
“This woman clearly didn’t intend to cause any harm to Daunte Wright. But we know what the law is, and the law talks about recklessness and culpable negligence. She was negligent. There’s no question about it.”
Meanwhile, CNN correspondent Josh Campbell stated that he hopes this verdict is a lesson to police departments across the nation to train their officers properly.
“One thing I keep thinking about after covering the Potter trial: She couldn’t recall BASIC details about a Taser, seeming to show no interest in mastering a weapon she carried on behalf of the public,” Campbell tweeted.
“Let’s hope departments around the nation draw lessons and train their people.”
Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley wrote a column on the network’s website, where he provided his thoughts over the verdict.
“There was no question in the case that Potter made a terrible and fatal mistake. It is also clear that she did so unintentionally. She called out, consistent with her training, “taser, taser, taser” before firing her service weapon by mistake,” Turley wrote.
“She was then shown collapsing at the scene, sobbing that she killed Wright by mistake. The prosecutors did not question that she thought she was grabbing her taser but demanded a long criminal sentence under the ambiguous standard of involuntary manslaughter.”
NBC News legal analyst Barb McQuade stated on Twitter that police departments need to re-examine their training policies due to this verdict.
“Kim Potter testified that she would not have pulled over Daune Wright over an air freshener if she had not been training another officer,” McQuade tweeted.
“For the safety of citizens and officers, police departments should re-examine their policies on the permissible bases for stopping motorists.”
Finally, CNN senior legal analyst Laura Coates shared her thoughts on Twitter over the verdict.
“Kim Potter just found guilty on both counts of manslaughter in the killing of Daunte Wright. Intent was never an element of either crime and her own testimony confirmed the elements the prosecution was required to prove. She will be held until sentencing,” Coates tweeted.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
