One of the jurors who convicted Minnesota cop Kim Potter in the killing of Daunte Wright says the jury felt she was a “good cop” who made a mistake when she drew her gun instead of a Taser — but that she isn’t above the law.
The juror spoke anonymously to KARE-TV on Wednesday a week after Potter, 49, was found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting the 20-year-old black man during a traffic stop in April.
“I don’t want to speak for all the jurors, but I think we believed she was a good person and even believed she was a good cop,” the juror said.
“No one felt she was intentional in this.
“Being a good person doesn’t mean you’re above the law. I don’t think anyone felt she wanted to kill anybody that day.”
The jury ended up deliberating for 27 hours over four days before delivering their guilty verdict.
Potter, who was a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, had claimed she meant to use her Taser on Wright — and didn’t realize she had drawn and fired her pistol.
She resigned two days after the shooting.
The juror said members of the jury didn’t feel Potter lied when she took the stand in her own defense during the trial.
“I don’t think any juror felt Kim Potter was a liar, but we did get the feeling she was fighting for her life by testifying and we understood why she would be,” the juror said.
The jury member said they were surprised to learn after the verdict was handed down that some people didn’t believe Potter’s tears were real.
“Just being in the courtroom, it felt very real and tangible to me. She seemed very upset and apologetic,” the juror said.
Despite this, the jury generally believed Potter should have known she was holding her gun given her years of experience.
The juror said a turning point in the deliberations came after jurors handled Potter’s gun and Taser to feel the difference.
“The gun was about twice as heavy, and the two weapons had several differences in how they are un-holstered and fired,” the juror said. “The Taser kind of feels like a mouse click whereas the [gun’s] trigger has some trigger draw weight.”
The juror added that deliberations were heated at times — and that every member of the jury cried at some point.
With Post wires