Former Minnesota police Officer Kim Potter faces sentencing Friday for manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of Daunte Wright. Prosecutors have requested a seven-year sentence while her attorneys are asking for probation. Potter, 49, was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of the 20-year-old Black man.
Officers are rarely charged with crimes in civilian deaths, and it's rarer still for them to be convicted.
Here’s a look at the outcomes of other high-profile killings by police:
ERIC GARNER
Eric Garner, a 43-year-old Black man, died in July 2014 in New York City after a white officer placed him in a chokehold when he refused to be handcuffed for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. A Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo. The Justice Department declined to file civil rights charges.
MICHAEL BROWN
Michael Brown, a Black 18 year old, was fatally shot by a white officer, Darren Wilson, in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, sparking weeks of sometimes violent protests. A St. Louis County grand jury, the U.S. Department of Justice and the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney all declined to charge Wilson in Brown's death.
LAQUAN MCDONALD
Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald 16 times, killing the Black 17-year-old in October 2014. Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2018. He served less than half of his almost seven-year sentence before being released in February.
TAMIR RICE
Tamir Rice, 12, was fatally shot by a white Cleveland police officer in November 2014. Tamir, who was Black, had a pellet gun tucked in his waistband. A grand jury declined to indict patrolman Timothy Loehmann, who fired the fatal shot, or training officer Frank Garmback. The Justice Department declined to bring federal charges.
WALTER SCOTT
Michael Slager, a white South Carolina police officer, shot Walter Scott in the back as the 50-year-old Black man fled a 2015 traffic stop. After a jury couldn't agree to a verdict on state murder charges against Slager, he pleaded guilty to violating Scott’s federal civil rights and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors dropped the state charge.
FREDDIE GRAY
Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man, died in 2015 after he suffered a spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in a Baltimore police van. Six officers were charged. Three were acquitted and Baltimore’s state attorney dropped the other cases. The Justice Department declined to bring federal charges.
PHILANDO CASTILE
Philando Castile, a 32-year-old school cafeteria worker, was fatally shot by a Minnesota police officer during a 2016 traffic stop after Castile informed the officer he was armed. Officer Jeronimo Yanez testified that Castile was pulling his gun out of his pocket and was acquitted of manslaughter.
JUSTINE RUSZCZYK DAMOND
Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an unarmed white dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, was fatally shot in 2017 by Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor after she called 911 to report a possible rape. Noor testified he was startled by a loud bang and that he fired to protect his partner. He was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 12 1/2 years. The murder conviction was later overturned and Noor was resentenced on the manslaughter count to nearly five years in prison.
JORDAN EDWARDS
Roy Oliver, a white Texas police officer, fired at a car full of teenagers as it drove away from a house party in 2017, fatally shooting 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, who was Black. Police initially said the vehicle backed up aggressively toward officers, but video showed the car was driving forward as officers approached. Oliver was convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
MANUEL ELLIS
Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in March 2020 after he was Tasered, handcuffed and hogtied, with his face covered by a spit hood during an arrest in Washington. Tacoma police officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges. Officer Timothy Rankine has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
BREONNA TAYLOR
Breonna Taylor, a Black 26-year-old Louisville emergency medical worker, was fatally shot in her apartment during a raid by plainclothes narcotics detectives in March 2020. A grand jury brought no charges against officers in her death and prosecutors said two officers who fired at her were justified because her boyfriend shot at them. However, one officer was indicted for shooting into a neighboring home.
GEORGE FLOYD
In May 2020, the dying gasps of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. White former Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. Three other officers — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng — are on trial in St. Paul on federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights, and face a state trial later this year.
RAYSHARD BROOKS
Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, fell asleep in his car in an Atlanta restaurant drive-thru lane in June 2020. Two white officers told him he was too drunk to drive and tried to arrest him. Brooks grabbed one of their Tasers and fired it at Officer Garrett Rolfe. Rolfe fired his gun, hitting Brooks twice in the back. Rolfe is charged with murder. Officer Devin Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath.
CASEY GOODSON JR.
A white Ohio sheriff's deputy shot Casey Goodson Jr., a Black 23 year old, in the back five times in December 2020. Jason Meade pleaded not guilty to murder and reckless homicide. His attorneys argue that, as a member of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, Meade was acting as a federal agent and want his case moved to federal court.
ANDRE HILL
Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by a white police officer in Columbus, Ohio, in December as he emerged from a garage holding a cellphone. Officer Adam Coy was fired and has pleaded not guilty to murder and reckless homicide. The police chief was forced out and the city agreed to pay a $10 million settlement to Hill’s family. Coy’s trial is scheduled for March 7.
FANTA BILITY
Eight-year-old Fanta died Aug. 27 when three police officers fired into a crowd exiting a high school football game near Philadelphia. Investigators say the officers were responding to two teens exchanging gunfire who came in their direction. Devon Smith, Sean Dolan and Brian Devaney have been charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment.
