KARE 11 report: Juror says handling Potter's Taser and gun influenced panel's decision
Jurors in the trial of former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter reportedly were not convinced by arguments that her Taser and her handgun were easily confused, according to reporting by KARE 11.
The Hennepin County jury convicted Potter on Dec. 23 of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. Potter killed Daunte Wright, 20, during a traffic stop in April.
That Potter said she thought she was holding a Taser when she fired her pistol was a key part of her defense. But a juror told KARE 11 reporter Lou Raguse that the jury got a different impression when they actually picked up the weapons themselves as they talked about the case.
“They could tell when the gun was twice as heavy … The trigger is different,” Raguse said the juror told him. “He said a lot of them said to themselves, ‘I could tell the difference, and I'm not an officer with 26 years of training.’”
Jurors also reportedly were mostly in agreement that Potter was guilty as deliberations began. The juror, who would not agree to be identified because of concerns over threats, also told Raguse that while jurors considered Potter’s testimony was genuine, they were struck by inconsistencies in what she related in court and what a psychologist who testified said.
Potter is awaiting sentencing for her conviction.
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