Washington, Feb 19 (IANS): Kim Potter, a former police officer in the US state of Minnesota who fatally shot African-American man Daunte Wright last year, has been sentenced to two years in prison and supervised release.

The punishment includes 16 months in prison and eight months of supervised release after Potter was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in December 2021, reports Xinhua news agency.

Potter was attempting to arrest Wright on an open warrant on April 11, 2021 for failure to appear on a weapons charge when she drew her gun instead of her taser.

Judge Regina Chu, handing down the sentence in a Minneapolis courtroom on Friday, said that Potter "never intended to hurt anyone" and that "her conduct cries out for a sentence significantly below the guidelines".

Daunte Wright's mother, Katie Wright, responded that they are "very disappointed in the outcome" and the justice system murdered her son "all over again".

"This isn't okay, this is the problem with our justice system today: white women's tears trump justice," she added, describing how Potter cried on the stand while apologising for killing Wright.

Potter has been held without bail since her conviction in December.