Daunte Wright’s family seeks appeal of ex-officer’s two-year sentence, considers lawsuit

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Daunte Wright’s mother says her son’s death has turned her into an activist. 

As reported by the Star Tribune, Monday marked one year since Wright, 20, was fatally shot by former Minnesota police officer Kimberly Potter. 

“You go from mother to warrior. I literally feel like Xena,” said Katie Wright, referring to the hit fantasy TV series starring Lucy Lawless. “I wasn’t an activist prior to this — I’m a retail manager. … But when your child is taken by somebody who’s supposed to serve and protect, you have a fight and a fire that is burning inside of you.”

In their latest battle for justice, the family is now demanding an appeal.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has until the end of May to file an appeal, according to the report. 

“If he opts not to appeal the case, the family has no other remedy at that point,” said Jeff Storms, a member of the Wright’s legal team, along with famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump. “It’s not a situation where we could step in as private lawyers and appeal the sentence.”

Wright’s family is considering a lawsuit amid their ongoing fight for changes in policing in Brooklyn Center, which includes implementing policies to ban no-knock warrants and pretextual traffic stops. 

According to the report, Katie has teamed with the family of Kobe Dimock-Heisler to create a nonprofit to support others whose loved ones were killed by police. Dimock-Heisler, a 21-year-old autistic man, was fatally shot by Brooklyn Center police in 2019.

Wright’s shooting was captured on Potter’s police body camera. She claimed to make an innocent mistake by pulling her handgun instead of her Taser when she shot Wright as he tried to drive away from a traffic stop, theGrio reported. The shooting sparked violent protests in the city. 

Potter was arrested and criminally charged for Wright’s death. In December, she was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison.

Ellison initially sought a seven-year prison sentence for the former police officer.

“The sentencing let us know that the fight is not over,” said Aubrey Wright, the victim’s father. “I think we were robbed. I talked to Daunte, like, ‘We’re going to get some justice for you.'”

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott spoke during a vigil Saturday held to mark the first anniversary of Wright’s death. 

“I’m heartbroken by the killing of Daunte,” Elliott said. “But I’m also highly encouraged by the support the community has shown and how the community rallied in the wake of the killing of Daunte and really made it clear that … it was time for real transformative change.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) also came out to support Wright’s family.

“It’s the first anniversary of Daunte Wright being taken. I wanted to be here with the community and visit with his mom and siblings,” she said. “Grief is a long process.”

“The grief is always there,” said Daunte’s father, “and it doesn’t get better.”

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