Where Is Kim Potter Today? Prison Release, Training Talks, and Backlash

Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a 2021 traffic stop, is living in Wisconsin and giving paid use-of-force presentations to law enforcement groups. She was released from prison on April 24, 2023, after serving 16 months of a two-year sentence, and her supervised release ended on December 21, 2023.¹²

Out of Prison Since April 2023

Potter served her sentence at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee and walked out at roughly 4 a.m. on April 24, 2023.¹ The remaining eight months of her two-year sentence were served on supervised release under the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

The conditions were strict. She was required to live in Wisconsin, stay in contact with a supervising agent, submit to unannounced searches and drug testing, and remain law-abiding. She could not possess firearms or any dangerous weapons, and she was prohibited from any direct or indirect contact with the Wright family or other designated victims.³ Her sentence expired on December 21, 2023, ending supervision. Nothing in recent reporting indicates any change to her legal status since then.⁴

What Potter Is Doing Now: Police Training Presentations

Since her release, Potter has appeared at law enforcement conferences delivering presentations about the shooting. She works with Imran Ali, a former Washington County assistant prosecutor who was initially co-counsel in the criminal case against her. Ali resigned from the prosecution, citing what he called “vitriol” and “partisan politics,” and later moved into law enforcement consulting before partnering with Potter.⁵

By late 2024, the pair had become a regular presence at Minnesota Sheriff’s Association events, presenting in June and September of that year. They also spoke at a law enforcement conference in Indiana in May 2024.⁶ A Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association agenda confirmed she delivered a session titled “A Path to Rebuilding, Revitalizing and Integration” on October 9, 2024.⁷

According to Ali, Potter opens her presentations by saying: “I killed Daunte Wright. I’m not proud of it. And neither should you be.” A training contract obtained by the Associated Press described the sessions as covering “the truth of what occurred, the increased violence and non-compliance directed towards law enforcement, the importance of training, and steps we can take in the future.” That contract proposed a fee of $8,000 per session, covering speaking fees and travel.⁶

The Washington State Cancellation

In September 2024, one of Potter’s booked appearances collapsed under public scrutiny. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board had signed an $8,000 contract with Ali in February 2024 to bring Potter to a symposium for its enforcement officers on September 23 in Vancouver, Washington. The session was titled “Remorse to Redemption: Lessons Learned.”⁸

The board canceled the contract on September 12, 2024, a day after a Seattle Times reporter contacted the agency. A spokesperson called the planned event “insensitive and inappropriate,” and the board chair acknowledged the invitation had gone out without sufficient internal deliberation.⁹ The agency said it had not recognized Potter’s name when the contract was signed months earlier.¹⁰

Divided Reactions

The training work has drawn sharp disagreement. James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, said there is “value in learning from mistakes” and the group would continue hosting her. Rachel Moran, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, said Potter’s voice has the “potential to be heard more by officers than an outsider” because she shares their background and admits error.⁶ Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who prosecuted her, said her public remorse could help the community heal.

Wright’s family has objected. His mother, Katie Wright, called the lectures a “scheme” that lets her son’s killer profit from his death and revive “painful memories.” She said Potter had already received a “second chance” through her early release. Jeff Storms, an attorney for the family, described the contract language as “an advertisement tailored for police officers who feel embattled” rather than a genuine story of regret.⁶ After the Washington cancellation, Katie Wright said she had not been informed of the booking and called it “hurtful and disgusting.”⁸

How Potter Ended Up in Prison

Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, was serving as a field training officer on April 11, 2021, when a rookie she was supervising pulled Daunte Wright over for expired registration tags and an air freshener on the rearview mirror.²¹¹ Officers found an outstanding warrant for Wright and tried to arrest him. When Wright pulled away and tried to get back into his car, Potter shouted “Taser, Taser” and fired a single shot from her handgun, then said, “I grabbed the wrong f**king gun.” Wright, 20, died at the scene. Potter resigned two days later.¹²

A jury convicted her in December 2021 of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. On February 18, 2022, Judge Regina Chu sentenced her to two years in state custody, split between 16 months in prison and eight months on supervised release, along with a $1,000 fine.¹³ The sentence was a sharp downward departure from Minnesota’s guidelines, which called for roughly seven years. Prosecutors had sought 86 months. Judge Chu said Potter “made a mistake that ended tragically” in a “chaotic, tense and rapidly evolving” scene.¹⁴ The Wright family called the sentence a “slap on the wrist.”

The Civil Settlement

Separate from the criminal case, the city of Brooklyn Center agreed in June 2022 to pay $3.25 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Wright family.¹⁵ The agreement also required policy and training changes at the Brooklyn Center Police Department in areas including traffic stops, officer intervention, implicit bias, weapons confusion, de-escalation, and mental health response. A Hennepin County judge later ordered the funds distributed, with roughly $2 million going to Wright’s young son, Daunte Wright Jr., and the rest split among Wright’s parents, siblings, and a half-sister.¹⁶ The settlement was paid by the city, not by Potter personally.

1
CBS News. Kim Potter Released From Prison After 16 Months
2
PBS NewsHour. Minnesota Officer Who Killed Daunte Wright Released From Prison
3
Minnesota Department of Corrections. Kim Potter Supervised Release Conditions
4
Fox 9. Community Honors Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center 5 Years After Death
5
City News (Halifax). Officer Who Killed Daunte Wright Is Taking Her Story on the Road
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CBS News Minnesota. Kim Potter Daunte Wright Use-of-Force Lectures
7
Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association. 2024 Conference Agenda
8
The Seattle Times. WA Board Cancels Training by Ex-Minnesota Cop Who Killed Daunte Wright
9
New York Times. Kimberly Potter Daunte Wright Police Training
10
Star Tribune. Kim Potter Was Set to Help Lead Use-of-Force Training in Washington State, Then It Was Canceled
11
CNN. What We Know About the Kim Potter Trial
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MPR News. Killing of Daunte Wright
13
ABC News. Kim Potter Sentenced on Manslaughter Convictions
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NPR. Kim Potter Sentenced for Daunte Wright Shooting
15
ABC News. $3.25 Million Settlement Reached in Daunte Wright Fatal Shooting
16
KSTP. Judge Orders Daunte Wright’s Son to Get Majority of Wrongful Death Settlement