A white police officer convicted of killing a Black man after mistaking her gun for a Taser has been released from jail.
Kim Potter, the Minnesota police officer who mistook her gun for a Taser and killed Daunte Wright in 2021, was released from prison early Monday.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections said Potter was set free around 4am "out of an abundance of caution." The department confirmed Friday she would be released Monday but declined to say what time out of security concerns.
Potter, a white officer for a suburban Minneapolis department, fatally shot Daunte, 20, who was Black, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota in April 2021.
The shooting happened during the trial of Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed George Floyd, and Daunte's death set off several days of protests.
Potter was convicted of first and second-degree manslaughter after the incident in April 2021. The charges against her saw her slapped with a sentence of 24 months in prison and a fine of $1,000.
The judge ordered Potter must spend 16 months in jail and a further eight months on supervised release.
Judge Regina Chu said during sentencing: "I recognise there will be those who disagree with the sentence. That I granted a significant downward departure does not in any way diminish Daunte 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 empathise with Ms Potter's situation."
Daunte was pulled over for an expired registration and hanging air freshener, police said, before Potter determined there was an outstanding warrant for him on a gross misdemeanour weapons charge.
During his arrest, Daunte escaped briefly leading Potter to grab what she thought was her stun gun, her attorneys said.
Instead, Potter shot her gun and hit Daunte, who was in the driver's seat when he was shot. The 20-year-old attempted to drive away before he crashed into another car.
Ahead of the release, Daunte's mother told CNN she was dreading her son's killer being released from jail.
Katie Wright said suffered a stroke from the stress of Potter's trial.
She told the news network: "Some say I should forgive to be at peace but how can I? I am so angry. She is going to be able to watch her kids have kids and be able to touch them.
"I am always scared I am going to forget my son’s voice. It gave us some sense of peace knowing she would not be able to hold her sons. She has two. I can’t hold my son."
Ms Wright added that the only "sense of peace" she has been able to find is that Potter will not be able to serve as a police officer ever again.
In the aftermath of Daunte's death, Brooklyn Center agreed to a $3.25million settlement to the family in June 2022. The payment has not yet been made but the family says they hope to receive it within the next three months.
Brooklyn Centre Police officers must also undergo bias training, but the programme is still being developed according to Mayor April Graves.
