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Prosecutors Want Kim Potter To Serve Long Prison Term For Death Of Daunte Wright

The ex-officer from suburban Minneapolis is accused of abusing her power and prosecutors say she should be sentenced above the state’s guidelines.

Kim Potter, the former Minneapolis-area police officer who was convicted of killing Daunte Wright, has yet to receive her prison sentence, however prosecutors are seeking a long one.

According to the Associated Press, a court filing on Monday (January 31) reveals prosecutor’s assertion that Potter should face a sentence above the state’s guidelines because she abused her authority as a police officer and endangered others when she confused her handgun for her Taser when attempting to arrest Wright.

But Potter’s defense claims she should get a lower sentence – or even probation – because she’s had an exemplary law enforcement career and hasn’t been in trouble with the law prior to Wright’s killing.

“She expressed remorse and apologized to Mr. Wright’s family from the stand, and will again at sentencing,” her attorneys wrote, according to the AP.

RELATED: Medical Examiner Testifies Why Daunte Wright Had No Chance Of Surviving Encounter With Ex-Cop

In December, Potter was convicted of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting the 20-year-old Wright during a traffic stop on April 11 in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Video of the shooting from police body cameras and dash cams show that Wright pulled away while another officer attempted to handcuff him. Potter repeatedly said she was going to tase him, but instead shot him in his chest with her gun.

Potter is scheduled to be sentenced February 18. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the first-degree manslaughter charge, which is the only one she’ll be sentenced over under Minnesota statutes.

For someone without a criminal history, Potter most likely faces a sentencing range from just over six to about 8.5 years, with the presumptive sentence being slightly over seven years.

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