- Daunte Wright's parents made a statement after Kim Potter was convicted on Thursday.
- "We have gotten accountability," Daunte Wright's mother said outside a Minnesota court on Thursday.
- Ben Crump, the attorney for the family, said the focus must now turn to the Brooklyn Center police department.
Daunte Wright's mother thanked supporters and said she was able to exhale after former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter was found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of her son on Thursday.
"Today, we have gotten accountability," Katie Wright said outside the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the conviction.
Daunte's parents, Katie and Arbuey Wright, also thanked the community for their solidarity and commitment to justice since their son was killed during a traffic stop in April.
"We love you. we appreciate you," Katie Wright said. " And honestly, we could not have done it without you. Daunte's favorite number was 23, and today is the 23rd."
The family's attorney, Ben Crump, said in a separate statement that the Wright family was relieved that the criminal legal system delivered "accountability for the senseless death of their son, brother, father and friend."
"If we are ever going to restore the confidence of Black and marginalized Americans in law enforcement, we need to have accountability and a commitment to listening and to creating meaningful change," Crump said in a written statement shared with Insider. "It is also imperative that we focus on the conduct of Brooklyn Center and pinpoint its systemic failures that contributed to Daunte's unlawful death."
Potter was convicted on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges after fatally shooting Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11, 2021. The charges together carry a prison term of up to 25 years.
Police body-camera footage showed Potter, who later resigned from the force, shout "Taser! Taser! Taser!" before shooting Wright in the chest.
Potter and her defense attorneys previously said that she intended to grab her taser instead of her gun when she shot Wright.
Wright's death came during the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd.
Floyd's killing in May 2020 sparked racial injustice protests across the country throughout that summer.