Some Facts About the Kim Potter Case... MN Cop on Trial for Manslaughter.

The fate of White 26-year veteran officer Kim Potter -- charged in the unintentional death of a black felon -- is in the hands of a jury of her peers now. Though this case will not garner nearly the attention of the Rittenhouse trial, the reaction to the verdict might. I expect her to be acquitted based on the evidence, and then potentially sued for wrongful death by the family of black felon Duante Wright. But here are some facts for the angry mobs, errrrrm, peaceful protesters to consider before torching the Twin Cities and pelting officers with soup cans and frozen water bottles like they did when the news broke that a noncompliant felon was shot by da popo.

1. The White officer did not intend to kill the black felon. She shouted "tazer tazer" to warn her fellow officers that she was going to zap the noncompliant black felon. Her reaction upon realizing she used the wrong tool was genuine. You can't fake that.

2. Had the justice system actually done its job, Duante Wright would be alive today - in prison, but alive. He had been given "woke justice" many times which kept him on the street and allowed him to perpetually flout the law and re-offend.

3. Had the noncompliant black felon complied with the lawful orders of the police, he'd be alive today as the officer would not have had to draw a weapon to subdue him.

None of these facts will make any difference to the woke mob, of course, but I thought it would be worth noting the actual events that led to the death of another noncompliant black felon and the multiple failures of the justice system that has destroyed at least two families.

 

Drawing from the wrong side, chanting a litany showing you shouldn't be holding your pistol, and not looking in your sight picture for the big damn flash of yellow that is your taser, is reckless in my opinion.
She should've checked what she was holding before firing. Dead guy being a scumbag doesn't change that calculus.

 

If you unintentionally run a red light and kill someone that should be o.k. because it wasn't intentional? Give me a break!!

 

This is not like it is in your living room. This was a stressful situation with a lot going on. She made a terrible mistake, but sending her to prison is simply wrong. She was from all we know a very good cop who made one serious mistake in her long career. How many of us can claim we have never made a stupid mistake in a twenty plus career? I don't know how many times I have said this. But when a suspect goes into a combative mode against the police, it elevates the situation to a whole new level. Don't resist arrest.

 

Where did I say it was OK? I

 

a 26 year veteran cop who does not know the difference between a taser and a handgun? she should not be carrying either one.

 

it is ok if you shout "green light green light" like this bimbo said "taser taser"

 

It is not a matter of not knowing the difference. It is a matter of inadvertently choosing the wrong one under stress. Let me know, if you have never made a mistake by grabbing the wrong handle, turning the wrong knob or pushing the wrong pedal on your car or picking up the wrong wrench or kitchen utensil or some other incredibly stupid thing when you knew the difference.

 

If that someone is engaged in some kind of physical struggle or assault with you they have created?

 

A 26 year veteran who had never in those 26 years had to pull her service revolver and only a couple of time her Taser. In the heat of the moment, the heat the ultimate victim brought upon themselves in a very dangerous moment.

 

if i pick up a 5/8" open end wrench instead of a 9/16," both of which i have used frequently and cleaned often i do not yell "5/8 5/8" and attempt to turn the 9/16 nut. they have different weight, balance, "feel" (this is an example where feelings do matter) in the hand.

by the way, i can field strip and clean any of my guns in the dark (in boot camp we used blindfolds). this is less "feeling" than organization. the gun and the taser have specific locations on the belt. how can you reach for the wrong one?

 

she should have been to the range a time or 2 in 26 years. does she ever clean either weapon? to shoot or not "in the heat of the moment" is a tough decision. which weapon is in her hand should be pretty obvious.

 

Based on what she’s charged with, if she thought it was a taser she was holding then she isn’t guilty of 1st or 2nd degree manslaughter. There is evidence to suggest she did indeed think she was holding a taser, certainly enough to undermine the burden of proof the prosecution must show.

she should be punished but of a lesser crime more befitting the circumstances of the case.

 

If this had happened to me, an ordinary citizen in a self defense scenario, I would be charged with manslaughter.

I suppose there is an argument to be made for leniency given that LEO's are tasked with handling violent people and are thus at higher risk for this sort of accident to occur whereas I'm not, but I also think they should be held to a higher standard than the average citizen, otherwise why have them? She should not be convicted of murder as she clearly intended to taze him. But neither should these sorts of mistakes go unpunished. There does need to be a certain amount of fear (floabt) of repurcussions of making this sort of mistake. I can't say I think she deserves prison time as I see prison is for people who are a danger to the public, and I don't think there's reason to consider her a danger to the public outside of law enforcement ...maybe a hefty fine and a job with less risk of having to make split-second life-or-death decisions is in order.

 

How many times when you pick up a 5/8" wrench are you involved in a life or death situation? Likely, picking up that gun at that time was the last thing she was thinking of in her mind. It was an automatic gesture.

 

They might be having a panic attack. They might have kids screaming in the back seat.

 

They might decide to present a threat to the public because they know they have warrants and don't want to go back to their second home aka prison.

 

Please follow the thread...I was responding to the equivalence of running a red light and killing someone.

 

This whole trial is absurd. She has a twenty six year career with no serious problems. Then because of a mistake which was likely made in milliseconds, she could go to prison.

If she has to go to prison, Alex Baldwin certainly should have to go to prison. He had ample time to ensure the gun was not loaded, but failed to do so and then pointed it at someone and pulled the hammer back and released it. Repeated errors over minutes and yet they want someone to go prison over a mistake that likely happened in milliseconds. This is not a diversion, it is just pointing out that they are looking at an honorable law enforcement officer in a completely different manner than a famous Hollywood actor.

 

Which is a straw man fallacy. Please follow the topic.

 

You don't get to say "oops I shot someone because I was stressed". That is not an excuse to homicide, whether you're a cop with a little tin star or not.

You kill someone without legal excuse, then its either negligent, reckless, or intentional homicide. I was stressed is not a legal excuse. If no one is in the path of the vehicle, he was driving off isn't an excuse.
You can tell she didn't think she could kill someone with a legal excuse, because she apparently meant to draw a non lethal weapon. But she didn't check what was in her hand before she shot, which is odd because tasers are bright yellow on the part of the front strap that would be in your sight picture so even with tunnel vision from adrenaline she should have it in view. When you're carrying a gun and a taser shaped like a gun, you're on notice you should check what you're drawing even if its done by taking note of your sight picture. She didn't check.

 

You are wanting to punish for something that happened in milliseconds during a very stressful time. A few milliseconds out of 26 year career. I would never recommend a person going into law enforcement. You are too likely to end up in prison or dead because of a few deadly milliseconds.

 

People are punished for a few milliseconds every day. Every other civilian who shoots someone is 100% liable for doing so. You shoot someone justified, the bullet overpenetrates and kills someone? Guess what you get? That's right, a prison term.

Putting on a tin star doesn't change that. It doesn't make you somehow blameless for your actions.

 

Which does not meet the standard for manslaughter -- with which this lifelong public servant was ridiculously charged. All because a woke justice system that refuses to do its job allowed a dangerous felon to freely move through society. it is obvious to any objective observer that this officer made a mistake. But the actions of the now deceased noncompliant black felon were intentional, as were the actions of a justice system that put it in a position to be a noncompliant black felon in the first place. This felon would have been safely in prison where it belongs had Hennepin County not let it walk and breathe free air.

Negligent homicide would be appropriate as the officer failed to exercise a reasonable standard of care in drawing her weapon.

Vehicles are weaponized frequently, and it turns out the noncompliant black felon did injure an innocent bystander by its depraved actions and its own refusal to exercise reasonable care.

I agree that it is hard to understand how an experienced person could mistake a firearm for a taser. But her immediate reaction appears as genuine as it gets - meaning her state of mind was clear, acknowledging that she had made a grave error.

I am not a police officer, but I have fired many firearms and a few tasers. At close range in dynamic combat, there is necessarily no sight picture with a taser: It's basically point and shoot. Unlike a firearm, the electrode probes merely need to pierce the skin anywhere on the body for the weapon to be effective. That said, I do agree with you that tasers and actual guns are very different in look, feel, weight, even trigger pull. That said, we were not there. And this woman dedicated her life to serving the public. The noncompliant black felon dedicated its life to crime. A perfect storm.

Potter should be acquitted. The family of the dead noncompliant black felon likely have won the lottery, as they will have a wrongful death cause of action against the people of Brooklyn Park.[/quote]

 

But usually not for a mistake. No one is claiming "blameless". Losing a job after a twenty six year career is more punishment than most people get for a mistake.

Your comment "Putting on a tin star" says it all. If you think that is all that is involved, then you have a lot to learn. They swear an oath. They are continually trained and have to be certified before taking that oath. It is a long difficult process which all too often gets rewarded with death or a prison term.