(NewsNation Now) — “It was such a relief that we got some type of accountability,” Daunte Wright’s aunt said during an appearance on “Morning in America.”
Niasha Wright appeared live on “Morning in America” one day after jurors convicted a suburban Minneapolis police officer of two manslaughter charges in the killing of her nephew Daunte Wright.
“It doesn’t bring him back,” Wright said of the guilty verdict in Kim Potter’s trial. “I mean, we got accountability. But it still isn’t like true justice or anything because Daunte is not here.”
“Tomorrow is Christmas and he’s missing,” she said referring to photographs from the past that show Dante smiling and joking around with the family. “We’re gonna miss all that with Daunte.”
Daunte was not only a son and a nephew, but he was also a father.
His child’s mother has previously expressed sadness and dismay about how her 1-year-old son would grow up without his father.
“That’s the only thing now that’s left of him is his son,” Wright said. “Daunte Jr. is gonna see all this. He’s gonna know all of this. We’re going to tell him everything. And he’s gonna see this.”
“We’re not really going to shield anything,” she added. “Because if we shield something, it’s hiding something.”
Potter is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 18 for Daunte’s killing.
“I know the Wright family wants the maximum amount,” Wright family attorney Tony Romanucci said. “No matter how much time Kim Potter gets, she’s going to well at one point she’s going to get out of jail and she’ll be able to be with her family and celebrate holidays.”
“The Wright family never ever will be able to celebrate with Daunte,” he added.
The most serious charge against Kim Potter — first-degree manslaughter — carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
“Now, realistically, we know that Kim Potter doesn’t have a criminal background,” Romanucci said. “But certainly we hope that her sentence is at the top because she needs to pay for what happened here. Her recklessness caused needless death and pain for the Wright family and for his child for the rest of their lives.”
Wright expressed appreciation for sharing Daunte’s story “and supporting our family.”
“Without the people getting out there and constantly saying his name, we wouldn’t have got this far,” Wright said. “And again, we’re happy we got something. But justice would have been to at least have him here.”
Watch the full interview with Niasha Wright in the video player at the top of the page.