A 42-year-old man received 20 years in prison for shooting his wife during a domestic dispute in February of 2015.
Travis Potter of Kansas City, Mo. sentenced on Thursday, Aug. 17 after pleading guilty on June 29 in Platte County Circuit Court to first degree assault and armed criminal action. He shot his wife in the leg with a rifle during the incident, and she later had the limb amputated.
Travis Potter
“Thankfully, neighbors called the Kansas City (Mo.) Police Department, and officers intervened, likely saving her life by shooting and disarming the defendant.”
During his guilty plea, Potter admitting to shooting his wife in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2015.
According to a probable cause statement, officers responded at around 3:45 a.m. to a residential cul-de-sac between North Congress Avenue and NW Prairie View Road, just south of Barry Road off of Interstate 29. Upon arrival, they located a victim with a gunshot wound to her leg and found Potter, standing beside her armed with a rifle.
Potter refused to comply with verbal commands, and officers fired at him, striking him an undisclosed amount of times in the right arm. Both parties were transported to area hospitals for treatment, and Potter was later taken custody.
According to the victim, she verbally argued with her husband the previous night, but he left the house intoxicated. He returned in the early morning hours and kicked in the door to the residence, prompting her to call police and tell him their marriage was over.
Potter left the room and returned with a rifle and told her he planned to kill her.
The victim exited the residence, and Potter followed and began firing shots, striking her once in the leg. He then became engaged in a verbal altercation with a neighbor before returning inside the residence. He came back out and demanded his wife get up before pointing the rifle at her head after she informed him she couldn’t due to the gunshot wound.
Five witnesses from neighboring residents were also interviewed, according to court documents.
The neighbor who confronted Potter was also threatened with a firearm and stated that he believed the accused returned with a different firearm after going back into the house. Police recovered a 7.62 caliber assault rifle in the front yard of Potter’s residence next to multiple pools of blood. They also found additional firearms and live and spent ammunition of various calibers.
“The actions of these two Kansas City Police Officers represent the heroic nature of so many law enforcement officers,” Zahnd said. “They charged into danger, risked their own lives and saved a defenseless woman from a gunman. The victim thanked them in her statement prior to sentencing, and I speak for our entire community in echoing our deep gratitude for their selfless service.”