MINNEAPOLIS — Closing arguments are next in the manslaughter trial of the former Minnesota police officer who says she meant to use her Taser instead of her gun when she killed Daunte Wright as he tried to drive away from a traffic stop.
Kim Potter's case will go to the jury following Monday's closing arguments and after Judge Regina Chu gives final instructions.
The judge says she won't make jurors deliberate on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. They'll return after the holiday if they haven't reached a verdict by then.
Potter took the stand in her own defense on Friday and grew emotional as she described the events surrounding the shooting.
"It just went to chaos," she said through tears, describing the moments after shooting.
Potter also testified that she "didn't want to hurt anybody" and that she was "sorry it happened."
The April 11 shooting took place in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Officers initially pulled Wright over for a traffic stop for expired tags, improper signaling and an improper air freshener in the windshield.
Body camera footage from the incident shows Wright attempting to flee the scene in his car after officers confronted him about an outstanding warrant.
Video shows that Potter repeatedly yelled "Taser!" before pulling her gun and fatally shooting Wright.
Potter is white, and Wright was Black.
The shooting sparked several days of unrest in Brooklyn Center. The incident occurred as the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was getting underway just miles away.
Potter faces charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter.
