Day 2, Kim Potter Tells Judge During Jury Selection: ‘I Wish to Testify’
On day two of jury selection in the Kim Potter trial, the former Brooklyn Center police officer confirmed to a judge that she plans to take the stand and testify.
Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu, who is presiding over the case, asked Potter about her decision as court opened Wednesday morning.
“Do you understand it is totally your decision as to whether or not you testify?” Chu asked
“Yes I do, Your Honor,” Potter said.
“Have you had enough time to think about this?”
“Yes ma’am, I wish to testify.”
Potter is not required to testify to prove her innocence. The former officer is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter for firing a single shot that killed Daunte Wright, 20, during a traffic stop. Potter was training officer Anthony Luckey. Bodycam video shows Wright resisting Luckey during arrest and attempting to flee in a vehicle. Potter yells “Taser! Taser! Taser!” A shot is fired, and Potter is heard soon after, “Oh s**t, I just shot him.”
Jurors Selected So Far
A total of 14 jurors — 12 jurors and two alternates — need to be seated before opening statements. As of early Wednesday afternoon, a total of jurors have been selected: four men and four women. The background of the jurors includes:
Wednesday:
- Juror #21 – Man, white, 40s. Juror noted that he doesn’t “condone” people fleeing police. Juror says he can put that view aside to weigh case fairly and openly.
- Juror #22 – Man, white, appears to be 50s. Juror on questionnaire said that he had a “neutral” impression of Potter and Wright because he didn’t know much about the case. He also wrote that Potter “possibly made an error” based on video clip he saw on the news when incident first happened.
- Juror #17 – Woman, white, 20s to 30s. Felt protests after negatively affected the community, did not agree with the “defund” the police movement. “You are always going to need police officers,” she said. Said she could decide the case “on just the evidence” and leave outside views behind.
- Juror #19 – Woman, Black, 30s. Teacher, owns a Taser, victim of robbery 20 years ago. Lives in/near Brooklyn Center and near shopping mall that was looted. Strongly disagreed with statement that police shouldn’t face scrutiny because of their dangerous jobs. But she said it wouldn’t affect how she would weigh the Potter case.
- Juror #26 – Woman, Asian, possibly 20s. Brother in the Marines. Said she had “some concerns” about how the verdict might play with her opinionated relatives, but said she believed she could put that aside.
Tuesday:
- Juror #7 – Man, white, 29 years old, bass player in rock band, operational manager at Target.
- Juror #6 – Woman, white, late 50s or early 60s, background as a teacher. Expressed negative views of both Kim Potter and Daunte Wright on her questionnaire. She is anti-gun. Is concerned about seeing graphic images. “When I first heard about this, my reaction was ‘how can this happen?’” she said. “And that’s still where I’m at. And this trial maybe could clarify.”
- Juror #2 – Man, white, late 30s or early 40s. Expressed that Blue Lives Matter is counter to Black Lives Matter and didn’t think it was fair representation of police. Believes “defund” the police sends a negative message. Doesn’t believe in getting rid of police, but did say changes needed to be made.
- Juror #11 – Woman, Asian, 40s. Has a brother who was a Marine. She had a female friend who was fatally stabbed five years ago in Minneapolis.
The court has summoned 453 prospective jurors for the case. That’s 127 more than the trial for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Also see: Jury Selection Begins in Kim Potter Trial, Potter Expected to Testify
