hunter brittain arkansas shooting

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, The case has attracted nationwide calls for police reform, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. "[It's] going to cost him $15,000 to go home and be with his family, while we're at a loss. The killing in the predominantly white community has drawn the attention of national civil rights activists such as Sharpton, who said concerns about police tactics arent just limited to the Black community. In shooting case, office failed to quickly cut police contact, Family and friends of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, including his uncle, Harley Brittain (left), hold a rally outside the Lonoke County sheriff's office in Lonoke in this June 23, 2021, file photo. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 300 hours of community service. In an interview with Davis, he said he initiated the traffic stop of Brittain's white GMC truck and heard "the truck's engine rev up and then began to travel southbound in the northbound lane." What happened the night Hunter Brittain died? Davis,. 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. King said he never heard any commands from Davis before the gunshot. I didnt hear it and it happened so fast.. As mourners filed into the high school auditorium Tuesday morning, photos and video of Brittain were displayed on a large screen above his casket, which was decorated with blue and white ribbons, the Chevrolet symbol and Forever Chevy 17. Family members said Brittain dreamed of becoming a NASCAR driver after graduation. 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. Michael Davis of the Lonoke County sheriff's office are shown in this undated combination of courtesy photos. He claimed in documents filed in Lonoke County Circuit Court that Davis has had a very close working relationship with most members of the prosecutors office and has recently testified for the state in at least one jury trial. The motion was granted by 1st Division Circuit Judge Barbara Elmore the same day. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Minutes after the shooting, a third deputy starts to console Davis while still at the scene. Print Headline: Lonoke deputy fatally shot teen Hunter Brittain in neck, arm, coroner says. On Friday, Jeff Phillips, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, announced that Michael Davis, the sergeant who shot Brittain, will be charged with manslaughter for recklessly shooting at Brittain. A special prosecutor announced the felony charge against Michael Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office, in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. 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. Brittains family claim the teen had been working on his pickup, and that at the time of the shooting he was unarmed, with only a bottle of antifreeze in his hands. 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. Now that the trial has begun, Brittain's Aunt Mary Robertson is praying that that accountability happens in the coming days. Unfortunately no one was ever trained on what the "if possible" meant. On June 23, 2021, 17-year-old Hunter Brittain was test driving his truck after making repairs early in the morning when he was pulled over by former Lonoke County Sgt. "I was not happy. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Brittain was eulogized last year by the civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton, who said the death highlighted the need for interracial support for changes in policing. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Following Davis' sentence, his former boss, Sheriff Staley shared how tragic he thought the entire incident was and that he respects the jury's decision. Post your articles here so that everyone will have a chance to see our government at work (or showing their lack thereof) taking their own to task! Due to that failure, I have terminated the employment of this deputy, the sheriff said in a video statement on Facebook. We'll never have Hunter standing with us again.". [DOCUMENT: Coroners report for Noah Hunter Brittain arkansasonline.com/coronerbrittain]. I dont think he did anything that clearly prejudiced Davis rights in the case.. Davis said he could not see the 17-year-old's hands before shooting. Davis, who was originally charged with felony manslaughter, fatally shot Brittain who was test-driving his truck after working on it all night. The trial is taking place at the Cabot Readiness Center, where it was moved from the Lonoke County courthouse, mainly due to the fact that there are not a lot of windows inside the courtroom. It soon shows Davis telling another deputy, Nathaniel Rice, "The guy jumped out of the f****** truck and grabbed something out of the back, and it was a f****** oil can. It also attracted the attention of Black civil rights leaders like attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Brittains family, and has stood alongside them as theyve called for justice. 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. Davis shot Brittain once while Brittain's hands were still in the truck bed, according to Davis' statement to state police investigators and his testimony while on the stand. Pierson pled guilty to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. There were no indications of drug and alcohol use listed on the coroners report. Ben Crump, who represented Brittains family said: Hunter deserved better.. Davis then moves to sit in another vehicle by himself. But even after the verdict, the Brittain family said this isn't the end of them telling Hunter's story. Ultimately the 12 jurors were seated-- made up of nine women, three men, and two alternates. Davis mentioned Brittain's 'loud' and 'smoking' truck, along with their interaction happening 3 a.m. The Brittain family is being represented by Ben Crump, the same civil rights lawyer who represented George Floyd, a Black man murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer last summer. Few details about the shooting have been officially released over the past two months. Phillips was passed the investigative file by the coordinating office July 15, according to an email from McMahan. Ive had him for the last five years of his life, his grandmother Rebecca Payne said after the killing. Hunters family is already distrustful because they havent gotten any answers whatsoever, Crump said. If convicted of manslaughter, Davis could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison. On Friday, the Arkansas State Police released the law enforcement video of the aftermath of the June 23, 2021, shooting death of Hunter Brittain in Lonoke County. Family and friends of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, including his uncle, Harley Brittain (left), hold a rally outside the Lonoke County sheriff's office in Lonoke in this June 23, 2021, file. That's what this jury says, that's a strong finding," he said. That's when the jury was shown what body camera footage there is in this case, which only shows what happened after Brittain was shot. During the early morning hours of June 23, Davis spotted Brittain driving a vehicle that was smoking heavily and an engine that was knocking, Newcomb said Wednesday. A cop shot and killed Hunter Brittain as the 17-year-old was trying to grab an antifreeze jug from his car. 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. Davis said mentioned several things that led to him firing his gun. 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. 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. Some of Brittains family members have said a witness to the shooting claims Davis didnt offer verbal commands before the shooting. Brittain was fatally shot by a deputy during a traffic stop . The two government bodies work separately but lean on each other to take criminal cases to fruition. An investigator with the Arkansas State Police was called to the stand after. On July 1, a little more than a week after the shooting, Chuck Graham, prosecuting attorney for the 23rd Judicial District, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he planned to file a motion for the assignment of a special prosecutor. Got a tip? People protesting the killing of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain doing burnouts in the parking lot of the Lonoke County sheriff's office. The document says what it says, Jacob said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. On June 23, Hunter's life was cut short when a Lonoke County sheriff's deputy fatally shot him during a traffic stop. On Rice's footage, crime tape starts to go up as he gets Brittain's name from King. 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. I dont want to jeopardize this case, its too important, he said. I do all the on-call stuff, Graham said in a phone conversation last week. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. It's a case that's gained national attention and one that has greatly impacted the community of Lonoke and across Arkansas. The coroners report does not specify how many times Brittain was shot but does list the immediate cause/manner of death as gunshot wound of neck and arm. The firearm was listed as a police-issued, semi-automatic pistol. Moving forward, both Brittain's family and Michael Davis will be involved in separate civil lawsuits against the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The car, which had transmission issues, began smoking and was pulled over by Davis as it neared the repair shop. The white teens death prompted protests in a region of the state not known for speaking out against police violence. Brittain turned into a nearby parking lot and jumped out of the backward moving vehicle and reached into the back of the truck, he said. Michael Davis, during a traffic stop June 23 near Cabot, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. The next day, the Arkansas State Police passed the investigation file to Grahams office. 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. Even though it's not the ending he wanted, defense attorney Robert Newcomb said juries often go with the lesser charge. Special prosecutors, who dont have connections to the police agency, are then appointed by the Arkansas prosecutor coordinator, Bob McMahan. The issue of policing is not about Black and white, Reverend Al Sharpton said at a eulogy for Mr Brittain. At that point, that was within a couple days of the event.. Crump and Jacob have been involved in high-profile homicide cases that include those of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery. After closing arguments, one juror had to leave for a medical emergency and they had to bring in an alternate juror, with deliberation beginning around 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. One of their witnesses included a law enforcement officer who has trained many officers of when to use deadly force. The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory cant publicly release the autopsy report because of Arkansas Code 1212-312, Director Kermit Channell said. Rebecca Payne, Brittains grandmother, said family members wanted the deputy convicted of the felony to ensure he could not serve as an officer again. Im not sure we could set a policy at the national level that could cover all circumstances. Prosecutors are held accountable by elections, Golden said. Print Headline: Lonoke deputy fatally shot teen Hunter Brittain in neck, arm, coroner says, Copyright 2023, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. The only one who has been accurate on that is Sgt. The civil-rights attorneys also represented the family of George Floyd, who died in 2020 while in police custody in Minneapolis. A key piece to the kit involves prosecutors clearly outlining decisions for the public. Now whats going to happen? 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. attracted the attention of Black civil rights leaders. Davis retained Arkansas attorney Robert Newcomb after being fired for what Sheriff John Staley described as a policy violation for failure to turn on his body camera in a timely manner. Devon Jacob, Brittains familys attorney, described the report as unclear. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Early in the morning of 23 June, Hunter Brittain was hard at work fixing his truck so it would be ready in time to make his construction job at 6am. Michael Davis near Cabot, Arkansas, United States. But King said Davis never gave any commands to Brittain before he shot him. Famed attorney Ben Crump named one of TIME's100 Most Influential People, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in. Rice's camera moves at about 19 minutes into his video, and Brittain is no longer on the ground. This is something, Jesse Brittain, the boys uncle, told CBS News. "It's going to be hard, it's been hard, it's been hard since June," he said. You could always say Mr. Graham should have stepped away immediately but that is hindsight, Newcomb said. The charge was brought by special prosecutor Jeff Phillips of the 5th Judicial District after Lonoke County prosecutor Chuck Graham recused himself from the case. Staley said on the witness stand during the trial that deputies should turn on their body cameras at about the time they initiate blue lights, if conducting traffic stops. Brittain had been fatally shot by a Lonoke County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop early that morning. About 9:45 into the video, another officer comes up to Davis and says, "Buddy, I'm going to put my gun in your holster.". "I didn't say that this defendant was a bad guy. Jordan King, Brittains cousin who was in the car with him at the time, said Brittain hopped out with the jug to place it behind the trucks tireswhich is something the teen always did to help stop the old truck. 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 after Brittain exited his truck to put a blue plastic bottle of antifreeze behind a wheel because the vehicle wouldnt shift into park. Brittain turned into a lot off the highway and jumped out of the vehicle, which was rolling backward, Newcomb said Wednesday. Staley also said the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office does not have dash cameras on its police vehicles. 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. 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