Daunte's mother, Katie Wright, reminisced about the loss of her son on WCCO's 9-noon show, with Georgia Fort. Wright says she was in a twilight zone and has been living in an emotional roller coaster for the past year.
Exactly one year ago, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed during a traffic stop. Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter, said she mistook her gun for a taser when Daunte Wright tried to get away. This tragic incident led to protests and marches, where just 11 miles away, former police officer Derek Chavin was on trial for the murder of George Floyd.
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A jury found Potter guilty of manslaughter. In December, Judge Regina Chu did a downward departure of sentencing guidelines, creating more outrage from the Wright family and some community members. State prosecutors had asked for seven years. Instead, Chu sentenced Potter to two years imprisonment with credit for time served.
"Daunte was just the light of our family," said his mother Katie Wright.
"He would come in and joke so much. He loved his son and he was a, you know, a happy kid. He loved sports and he had big dreams and aspirations that were taken at a young age of 20. He had so much life ahead of him."
Wright shared a few lessons she's learned since the untimely passing of her son. Among those lessons, Katie Wright wonders if having the 'police talk' could have protected her son.
"I'm married to a Black man and we just didn't know having a little bit of white wasn't gonna protect Daunte. That dynamic of being a white mom, raising Black children, our conversations were very limited. I didn't have that conversation with Daunte saying, 'hey, put keep your hands on the steering wheel.'"
Though this is a difficult anniversary for many, Wright has a tough message for people.
"White people need to stand up before it happens to them. Don't say you see things happening and just agree that it's wrong. What are you doing about it? I am that white person who didn't do anything. I was in my comfort and my my privilege that I wasn't out here standing with everybody."
Now, the mother and grandmother is keeping her son's memory alive through advocacy. The Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act, passed in Brooklyn Center, and Wright is hoping more cities adopt the measure.
"Police are there for high-level crimes, they don't need to pull people over because of a gut instinct."
A candlelight vigil is scheduled this evening at the Daunte Wright memorial in Brooklyn Center, on 63rd Avenue and Kathrene Drive, where Wright was shot.