Hunter did nothing wrong, just like we felt George Floyd did nothing wrong, Sharpton told reporters before the memorial. Killing of Hunter Brittain Read Edit View history At approximately 3:00 am ( CDT) on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, who was unarmed, was shot by Lonoke County sheriff's deputy Sgt. Michael Davis, a former police sergeant in Arkansas, has been charged with manslaughter for recklessly shooting and Hunter Brittain, an unarmed 17-year-old killed during a traffic stop gone wrong. Davis, Newcomb said. I do all the on-call stuff, Graham said in a phone conversation last week. As Brittain did this, Davis shot one round at Brittain in his lower right neck. The case attracted attention from national civil rights leaders better known for their work with Black Lives Matter. I didnt hear it and it happened so fast.. According to a statement previously released by the Brittain familys attorney, the teen exited his truck to place a blue plastic bottle of antifreeze behind a wheel because the vehicle wouldnt shift into park. The prosecution team explaining that Davis "recklessly" shot Brittain who was unarmed and not dangerous, whereas the defense team, emphasized on the fact that in that moment Davis felt like his life was threatened. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 300 hours of community service. On July 1, hours after Graham told the Democrat-Gazette that he planned to recuse himself, someone with the state police texted, Time for a call? Graham responded, Yes sir, anytime. Last week, Graham said it took time to figure out if he was going to recuse from the case. Suspect in shooting of Springdale woman shot by officer after pointing gun at police, Communication program for people with nonverbal autistm coming to Fort Smith, Heavy rain and storms likely to increase Thursday across Arkansas, Storm warning fatigue | Alerting Arkansas. The family's attorney, Devon Jacob said they aren't going to focus on the charges, but rather look at the meaning behind the jury's decision. Mike Davis near a body shop in Cabot. But if we segregate how we react, then were wrong.. We definitely have been trying to come up with a way, when a citizen dies by law enforcement, for there to be an additional route to investigate that, that doesnt involve any of the agencies that work with the officers, Abdul-Bey said. Its time they start letting us know something., Community members also rallied behind the Brittain family, demanding Justice for Hunter.. Committee, Families file 100+ complaints against cemetery in, Farmers share their voices at the AR State Capitol, House Education Committee advances Arkansas LEARNS, Embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns, Zelensky: There will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. The report from the Pulaski County coroner said the initial 911 call came in at 3:08 a.m. on June 23 and Brittain was pronounced dead around 3:58 a.m. by an attending physician at Baptist Health Medical Center in North Little Rock. Crump, in a statement, said the charges were the first step in the pursuit of justice for Brittain, adding that his shooting was the latest example of law enforcement shooting first and asking questions later.. While the verdict isn't something they agree with, the Brittain family said they do accept it. He said he should refrain from talking about the case because special prosecutor Jeff Phillips, prosecuting attorney for the 5th Judicial District, was named July 12. According to the affidavit, when Brittain pulled over and got out of the car, he started moving to the truck bed as the truck was rolling backward toward Davis' patrol car. Davis said mentioned several things that led to him firing his gun. Arkansas State Police investigated Davis use of deadly force and turned over its findings to Fifth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Phillips, who was named special prosecutor for the case July 12. The defense also added and went through every reason why Davis feared for his life and fired the gun. All rights reserved. [2] Killing [ edit] One officer was convicted of murder in Floyds death. Arkansas State Police are investigating Brittains death. It was released after the March 18 closure of a trial in which Davis, 31, was convicted of misdemeanor negligent homicide in the death of the 17-year-old from McRae. Jurors acquitted Michael Davis of manslaughter while finding him guilty of the misdemeanor charge in the death of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain during a June traffic stop outside Cabot, a city of about 26,000 people roughly 30 miles north-east of Little Rock. Neither Brittains nor Davis attorneys are supportive of Grahams decision to withhold body-camera footage. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. Hey, ever wounder what happened at the end of that case?? A key piece to the kit involves prosecutors clearly outlining decisions for the public. On 1 July, the the sheriffs office announced it had fired sergeant Davis for failing to comply with the agencys body camera policy. According to the Lonoke County Sheriffs Office, Sergeant Michael Davis initiated the traffic stop at 3 a.m. on June 23. Former Arkansas deputy Michael Davis was found guilty of negligent homicide in the shooting death of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. The last witness called in by prosecution was Davis' former boss, Sheriff John Staley, who told the jury that Davis had issues with turning on his body camera in the past. In June, at 3 a.m. on a dark stretch of a highway in rural Arkansas, 17-year-old Hunter Brittain was shot and killed by a sergeant from the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office. King said he never heard any commands from Davis before the gunshot. He has not responded to numerous emails requesting updates on the investigation, including a message sent Wednesday. Brittain was test-driving a pickup truck with his cousin that the two spent the night tinkering on at a local repair shop. Rice's camera moves at about 19 minutes into his video, and Brittain is no longer on the ground. The only thing that bothered me is that they checked with Graham and they wouldnt let us look at the video, Newcomb said. Davis was fired by Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley a week after the shooting for breaking a department policy that requires deputies body cameras to be turned on before interactions with the public. The report from the Pulaski County coroner said the initial 911 call came in at 3:08 a.m. on June 23 and Brittain was pronounced dead around 3:58 a.m. by an attending physician at Baptist Health Medical Center in North Little Rock. The file includes hundreds of documents, including Davis' employment record, body camera footage from deputies and Cabot police officers who responded, crime scene photos and interviews with witnesses. Floyd died in May last year when a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin the handcuffed Black mans neck to the ground. CPR is started almost immediately. While everyone in the makeshift courtroom in Cabot was quiet when they heard the decision, they said a lot to once they exited the doors. Davis, Newcomb said. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. The family is going to continue to trust the process, Jacob said. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. Another witness who was nearby during the shooting said he was at the shop waiting on Brittain and a friend when he heard the gunshots. "Why'd he hop out of the truck and grab that? Davis, an eight-year veteran with the Lonoke County Sheriffs office, gave the boy commands to stop and shot him before he could see what he was retrieving, which turned out to be a jug of antifreeze. Family members have said Brittain had been working on his trucks transmission and had been test driving it when he was pulled over. Kwami Abdul-Bey, legislative/political action chairman for the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP, said the measure would include a position at the Arkansas attorney generals office that would be responsible for investigating police shootings or brutality cases. On June 24, Graham sent an email to state police special agent Robert Middleton saying, Per our phone conversation, we will not be releasing the body camera video of the recent Officer Involved Shooting in Lonoke County at this time. Devon Jacob, Brittains familys attorney, described the report as unclear. Robert Newcomb, Davis' defense attorney, has said Davis believed that he had turned the camera on and didn't realize it wasn't working until after firing the shot that killed Brittain. Davis pulled over Hunter Brittain, 17, on June 23, 2021, outside Cabot, a small town 30 miles north of Little Rock. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. The first witness called to the stand by the prosecution team was 16-year-old Jordan King. The video was first seen by the public during the first day of Davis' trial. Hopefully, Hunter and his untimely death will finish what Hunters brother George Floyd and his death started, Jacob said. At that point, that was within a couple days of the event.. The issue of policing is not about Black and white, Sharpton told a packed auditorium at Beebe High School, where Brittain was a rising senior. This is my opinion. Crump said a proposed bill that is being referred to as Hunters Law would include a mandate that body cameras be active during interactions between police and civilians and that those videos be released immediately to the public. Davis has been with the Sheriff's Office since 2013. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. The two government bodies work separately but lean on each other to take criminal cases to fruition. After a short break, open arguments started around 2:30 p.m. Heres what you need to know. Newcomb has said Brittain was pulled over by Davis because his vehicle was smoking heavily and an engine was knocking. The following day on March 18, the jury found Michael Davis guilty of negligent homicide in the fatal shooting of Hunter Brittain after 2.5 hours of deliberation. BEEBE, Ark. It wont require a recusal, Abdul-Bey said. According to an affidavit read by Phillips at a press conference, Brittain was test-driving a pickup truck with his cousin that the two spent the night tinkering on at a local repair shop. Print Headline: Lonoke deputy fatally shot teen Hunter Brittain in neck, arm, coroner says, Copyright 2023, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. He later died at North Little Rock Hospital. On Rice's footage, crime tape starts to go up as he gets Brittain's name from King. He was my grandson. My nephew, Hunter, is laying in a grave or refrigeration and this man is going to get to go home," he said. Please read our Terms of Use or contact us. On Nov. 15, former Lonoke County Sgt. I never expected anything like what happened, especially not just a country boy working on his truck and taking it for a test drive, she said. Michael Davis, during a traffic stop June 23 near Cabot, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. who was shot and killed by a white Lonoke County sheriffs deputy. Brittain's family retained civil-rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Devon Jacob soon after the shooting to handle the teen's estate and any civil suits. While it is difficult to wait for answers, it is important that the investigation that occurs is both fair and complete.. Brittain turned into a lot off the highway and jumped out of the vehicle, which was rolling backward, Newcomb said Wednesday. Both were lawyers in George Floyd's murder case. Attorney Ben Crump and Jacob were retained by Brittains family in the days after the shooting as the case received national attention. He remains free on bond pending appeal. Davis told authorities he gave "several commands" to Brittain to get back in his car and to show his hands as Brittain reached with both hands into the bed of the truck when he fired his weapon. One of their witnesses included a law enforcement officer who has trained many officers of when to use deadly force. There are no cameras allowed inside the courtroom and that's how it's going to be for the remainder of the week and for the rest of this trial. Rebecca Payne, Brittains grandmother, said family members wanted the deputy convicted of the felony to ensure he could not serve as an officer again. Graham filed the motion for a special prosecutor on July 8, a week after a conversation with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A jury found former Lonoke County Sgt. btw before the traffic stop, the officer turned off his body-cam, then turned it on after the shooting which is against department policy. But we are going to change that. Alissa Marque Heydari, deputy director for the Institute of Innovation in Prosecution at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, says it is recommended that if a prosecuting office is involved in an investigation, the office is staffed by prosecutors and investigators who are completely internally separate from the rest of the office. King was in the car with Brittain in the early morning hours of June 23, 2021. A former Arkansas deputy was convicted on Friday of negligent homicide and sentenced to a year in jail for shooting an unarmed teenager whose death last year drew the attention of national civil rights leaders. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The jury was asked a series of questions related to law enforcement and their opinions. Sheriff John Staley said that Davis had not turned on his body camera at the start of the traffic stop and only activated the device after the shooting had happened. Davis, who was originally charged with felony. Hunter Brittain, the 17-year-old killed by a Lonoke County sheriff's deputy in June, died of gunshot wounds in his neck and arm, according to a coroner's report released Wednesday. More than a month after a Lonoke County deputy shot and killed 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, officials have yet to release body camera footage amid a national conversation about police. At times, prosecutors will recuse themselves and request a special prosecutor for cases involving law enforcement officers because of the relationship between the two bodies. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. How much help are American volunteers in Ukraine? ", Davis then starts yelling at a passenger, Jordan King, "What are y'all driving the vehicle like that?". Staley on Monday said he welcomed those who want to peacefully protest, but that out-of-state activists could risk inflaming an already difficult situation.. (AP) The Rev. I cant speak to what different offices practice are. 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