‘I’m sorry it happened’: former officer gets emotional testifying in her own trial

Defense attorney Earl Gray: “Defense calls Kim Potter to the stand.”

Defense attorney Earl Gray questioning Kim Potter, former Brooklyn Center police officer:

Potter: “Officer Luckey started to say something about: ‘don’t do that.’ Don’t stop doing that. And then it just went chaotic.”

Gray: “What do you remember happening after that?”

Potter: “I remember a struggle with Officer Luckey in the driver at the door. The driver was trying to get back into the car.”

Potter: “And they’re still struggling, and I can see Sergeant Johnson and the driver struggling over the gearshift because I can see Johnson’s hand and then I can see his face.”

Gray: “And you knew Johnson for many years before this, is that right?”

Potter: “Yes.” Gray: “And by looking at his face at that point in time, what did you interpret it to mean?”

Potter: “He had a look of fear on his face. It’s nothing I’d seen before.”

Gray: “What did you do?”

Potter: “We were struggling. We were trying to keep him from driving away. It just it just went chaotic. It’s, and then I remember yelling ‘Taser, Taser, Taser.’ And nothing happened. And then he told me I shot him.” (cries)

Prosecutor Erin Eldridge cross examining Kim Potter, former Brooklyn Center police officer:

Eldridge: “Your Taser is pictured on the left side of your duty belt, correct?”

Potter: “Yes.”

Eldridge: “And that’s the way you’d been carrying it for years and years. Correct?”

Potter: “Yes.”

Eldridge: “And your firearm you carried on the right side of your duty belt, right?”

Potter: “Yes.”

Eldridge: “These items look different, don’t they?”

Potter: “Yes.”

Defense attorney Earl Gray: “Your honor, that’s argumentative.”

Judge Regina Chu: “The objection is overruled.”

Potter from video: “I’ll tase you. Taser, Taser, Taser.”

Eldridge: “OK, so stopping at 20201. Um, you have the firearm in your right hand, correct.”

Potter: (cries) “Yes”

Eldrige: “And you are pointing it directly at Mr. Wright, correct?”

Defense attorney: Earl Gray “Excuse me your honor, can we have a break? My client is.”

Judge Regina Chu: “OK. Ms. Potter, do you need to take a break? OK.”

Eldridge: “You didn’t make sure any officers knew what you had just done, right?” Potter: “No.”

Eldridge: “You didn’t run down the street and try to save down to Mr. Wright’s life, did you?”

Potter. “No.

Eldridge: “You didn’t check on the other car that had been hit, did you?”

Potter: “No”

Eldridge:  “All happened just down the road from you.”

Potter: “Yes.”

Eldridge: “You are focused on what you had done because you had just killed somebody.”

Potter: “I’m sorry it happened. (cries) I’m so sorry.”

Eldridge: “Ms. Potter, from your reaction today and some reaction on your video, you didn’t plan to use deadly force that day, did you?”

Potter: “No.”

Eldridge: “You didn’t want to use deadly force, did you?”

Defense attorney Earl Gray: “Objection, irrelevant.” (unintelligibile)

Judge Regina Chu: “The objection is overruled.”

Potter: “No, no.”

Eldridge: “Because you knew that deadly force was unreasonable and unwarranted under the circumstances.”

Potter: “I don’t want to hurt anybody.”