Potter says, 'I'm sorry it happened,' about shooting death of Daunte Wright
Kim Potter, the white former police officer charged with manslaughter, broke down during cross-examination by Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Erin Eldridge on Friday. While crying, Potter said, "I didn't want to hurt anybody," about the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop in April. Video is courtesy of Court TV.
Video Transcript
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You'd agree that, as a police officer, you have the duty to render aid and communicate information to other officers, right?
KIM POTTER: Yes.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: And it's part of your job to assist those who are hurt or injured. True?
KIM POTTER: Yes.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: And to communicate to other officers what you know about a particular scene. Right?
KIM POTTER: Yes.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: Give them whatever information you can to help them do their jobs, to help render assistance, things like that, right?
KIM POTTER: Yes.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: But you didn't do any of those things on April 11. Did you?
KIM POTTER: No.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You stopped doing your job completely. You didn't communicate what happened over the radio. Right?
KIM POTTER: No.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You didn't make sure any officers knew what you had just done. Right?
KIM POTTER: No.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You didn't run down the street and try to save Daunte Wright's life, did you?
KIM POTTER: No.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You didn't check on the other car that had been hit, did you?
KIM POTTER: No.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: That all happened just down the road from you.
KIM POTTER: Yes.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You were focused on what you had done, because you had just killed somebody.
KIM POTTER: I'm sorry it happened. I'm so sorry.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: Ms. Potter, from your reaction today, and from the reaction on your video, you didn't plan to use deadly force that day, did you?
KIM POTTER: No.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You didn't want to use deadly force, did you?
- Objection, your honor. She's [INAUDIBLE]
- The objection is overruled.
KIM POTTER: No. I-- no.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: Because you knew that deadly force was unreasonable and unwarranted under the circumstances.
KIM POTTER: I didn't want to hurt anybody.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: You didn't want to hurt anybody--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
KIM POTTER: No.
ERIN ELDRIDGE: That's why you said, I'm going to go to prison.
KIM POTTER: I don't--
- Objection, we asked three times now, your honor. [INAUDIBLE]
- All right. The objection is sustained.
