In April, former police officer Kim Potter fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, in a traffic stop, claiming she mistook her gun and believed it was her taser. She faces charges of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter, to which she pleads nonguilty. Today, both the prosecution and the defense gave their closing arguments and many are anxiously awaiting the verdict.
Twitter’s Response
On Twitter, many are discussing the events that occurred during the trial. For example, many criticized the fact that Potter appeared as she was crying, as she blinked and had tissues, but many people did not feel as if she was actually crying tears.
https://twitter.com/mysticalcj/status/1472748006260998144?s=20
Many on Twitter also discussed both the prosecutors and the defense. The prosecutor, Erin Elridge, also was a prosecuting attorney for the Derek Chauvin case as well. Many felt as if Eldridge did an outstanding job in the trial. Though some felt that Eldridge was a bit harsh, many felt it necessary due to the severity of the case.
She knows what she’s doing! Erin Eldridge is great. #KimPotterTrial pic.twitter.com/9xTPJX58En
— Jordan (@suchagreatguy) December 17, 2021
Though Eldridge argues that Wright’s death was preventable and avoidable, defense attorney Earl Gray believed that Wright caused the incident, as he attempted to flee from the police. Some felt as if this was victim shaming, as one fleeing a scene does not always result in death, nor should it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Defense: The cause of the entire situation was when Daunte Wright attempted to flee, says it's a superseding cause of Wright's death.
Earl Gray says that the officers letting him leave would not have helped the public. #KimPotterTrial pic.twitter.com/SEQUpBy5Bm
— WCCO | CBS News Minnesota (@WCCO) December 20, 2021
All in all, many anxiously await the jury’s verdict, which will be extended until at least tomorrow as deliberation had stopped before the verdict was in. Though some have conflicting ideas of justice and what that would look like in this case, many are hopeful justice will still be served.
