Noah "Hunter" Brittain, a white teen, was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy outside a local auto repair shop in McRae, Arkansas. Police killing of unarmed teen in Cabot, Arkansas, "Hunter Brittain family files lawsuit against former deputy, Lonoke County sheriff", "A Teen Was Having Car Trouble. Thomas Metthe/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Temple cops widow: Accused killer shouldnt be allowed to breathe, reveals last goodbye, Video captures chaos after cop fatally shoots 13-year-old driving stolen car, Suspect busted in fatal shooting of Temple cop tried to rob dying officer: police, Temple University police officer fatally shot trying to stop carjacking, fired because he hadnt activated his bodycam. We will email you when the process is complete. Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. A memorial service was held Tuesday for Hunter Brittain one week after the officer who fatally shot the Arkansas teen was fired from his post for failing to activate his body-worn camera,. He is no longer with us in the physical sense, but his spirit is calling us to get out of our frozen place and unite, stand together, march together and fight together for true justice for all. Help us deliver the latest daily reporting and analysis on news, politics, culture and food in Arkansas. They said his friend, Jordan King, 16, was with Mr Brittain and said the pair were pulled over after leaving the car garage. King said, contrary to the officers testimony, that he never heard anyone say, show me your hands, or anything similar prior to the shooting. He arrived to assist Davis after the stop was made. [8], Davis was found guilty at trial in March 2022 of negligent homicide, but not guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to 1 year in jail plus a $1,000 fine. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The bond for the former deputy was set at $15,000. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. "On the one end of the pendulum, there are the states that actually make it tough to get body camera videos explicitly," she said. The white teen's. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas. "This case is still under investigation and part of the case is the information you are requesting," Phillips said in an email. The teenager then fell to the ground face down. Hunter was a 17-year-old kid who had the right to live, had the right to go on to graduate high school and had the right to be protected by law enforcement not shot dead by them. It is legal for officials to deny body camera footage because of an ongoing criminal investigation, Robert Steinbuch, professor of law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and co-author of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, said Thursday. The Arkansas State Police, the investigating agency, and Lonoke County prosecutor Chuck Graham initially denied verbal requests for the body camera footage in the days after the shooting. A former Arkansas sheriffs deputy has been convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced to a year in jail over the 2021 shooting of a 17-year-old during a traffic stop. Marque Heydari said prosecutors could set guidelines, such as all witnesses must be interviewed in the investigation before release of the footage. Of those deaths 47 were killed by self inflicted wounds and by other cops. "Every state and local jurisdiction is different in how they handle these cases, and that is all the reason why prosecutors offices need to be clear on what this process is. 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. after a sheriff's deputy shot and killed a 17-year-old man during a traffic stop who was trying to fix his car. But since when have all the facts mattered? He suggested a law that would require law enforcement agencies to affirmatively post videos of events. According to his family members, he went to place a large blue plastic bottle of antifreeze behind a tire to prevent his car from rolling backward as it was having mechanical problems. Thats when the deputy fired at Brittain, striking him in the neck. "Justice for Hunter." The cry would be repeated. As King and Brittain went on a test drive in the truck, they made a right turn onto Highway 89 from Mahoneys body shop, travelling approximately one mile up the road to a church and turned around. Updated: 1:05 PM CDT April 5, 2022. Hunter Brittain. In 2020, 27 percent of people killed by police were Black, despite being only 13 percent of the population. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook Is the system broken, or what can be done to improve? If there is a potential for criminal charges, there could be concerns the release of footage could bias a jury or lead to witnesses changing their statements, he said. Martin, a 26-year-old black man, was found dead in a creek with a gunshot wound to his head in March 2020. 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. Privacy is a concern in some cases, depending on where the video is shot and who is in it. Scott Hundley, owner of Hundley Construction, said Brittain had worked for him on and off over the past few years. Sergeant Michael Davis pulled 17-year-old Hunter Brittain over along Arkansas Highway 89 at 3:00 a.m. for unknown reasons. Police killing innocents is wrong. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly affected the US healthcare system. List My Home for Rent . He hosts "PoliticsNation," which airs from 5 to 6 p.m. The Rev. His story resembles the tragic deaths of many at the hands of police like Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, George Floyd and so many others through the years. Relatives have said Brittain was up late working on the vehicle's transmission before taking the test drive. Young people killing others in Little Rock is wrong. 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. For 48 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond with your support, we can do even more. King said that Brittain immediately stepped out of the truck, rushed to the rear of the truck, whereupon King heard a gunshot. King was later interviewed by the Arkansas State Police regarding what had occurred. He says hes been working on this truck but hes trying to make it., Brittains grandmother, Rebecca Payne, was present at the protest. The prosecutor released his opinion that the shooting was justified June 25 and released the video upon receiving a Freedom of Information request sent afterward. From 2017 to the present, according to Statista.com, victims of fatal police shootings in the US total 4379, of whom 1,805 are identified as white, 989 as black, 692 as Hispanic, 150 as other, and 753 as unidentified. The police officer has a lot more situational awareness of a danger than maybe your or I would be aware of, Newcomb said. Its at that point that the officer, Michael Davis, shot the 17-year-old three times. I didn't hear it and it happened so fast," Mr King told the station. Personal injury attorneys Ben Crump and Devon M. Jacob filed the lawsuit and they issued this statement: Staley is sued both personally and in his individual capacity. That the world needs to melt frozen hearts that separate us. Maybe, said, Hunter Brittain is calling for some anti-freeze. He closed, to cheering, Its anti-freeze time.. The law would require all Arkansas police officers to wear a body camera which would be kept turned on during their shift. The bill also bans chokeholds and no-knock warrants, requires the use of bodycams and so much more. He urged all to unite behind equal justice for all races.. We dont just stand up for one race; we come for what is right, period. Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley released a video on Facebook Wednesday in which he states that he had provided state police with body camera footage of the shooting. If he [the sheriffs deputy] felt like he was in danger, hes got a taser on his hip. Hunter Brittain was driving a truck that was stopped by the deputy, identified as Sgt Michael Davis, in Arkansas. Speakers include Ben Crump and Rev. Regardless of what happens in the public eye, there should be a standard to at least release footage to relatives and attorneys involved in the case, said Kwami Abdul-Bey, legislative/political action chairman for the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP. The issue about policing is not about black and white, its about right and wrong.. This is what determines the prevalence of right-wing and racist views within police departments, as well as the fact that minorities, disproportionately among the most impoverished sections of the working class, are disproportionately among their victims. 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. We dont just stand up for one race; we come for what is right, period. Brittain was fatally shot by a deputy during a traffic stop . The benefit of releasing footage far outweighs the negative effects of holding onto that footage.". I didnt hear it and it happened so fast., King explained that a second police officer arrived at the scene and detained him. Young Hunter did nothing wrong, just like George Floyd and others did nothing wrong but if we segregate how we react to the states violence, then we are in the wrong. He received the investigative file July 15, according to an email from the Arkansas Prosecutor Coordinating Office. Based on a 2021 analysis of data from the US National COVID Cohort Collaborative, 20.2% of adults hospitalized for COVID-19 experienced a severe clinical course involving either invasive ventilatory support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), or death. Media attention for Brittains case has declined significantly since Democratic Party identity politics operative Reverend Al Sharpton spoke at Brittains memorial service in July. Referred to Committee on . Thomas Metthe/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP Brittain's family members told the Associated Press. Davis was sentenced to a year on his conviction, which he is appealing. The civil rights leader and the high-profile attorney, who Sharpton has dubbed "Black America's Attorney general," deemed the police shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain "one of the most. Did the officer hold a reasonable belief that his safety or the safety of others was at risk? Davis shot Brittain after he reached in the back of his truck for a container of antifreeze to chock a wheel so it wouldnt roll into the deputys patrol car. It is simply unconscionable that this is the reality in the most powerful advanced nation in the world. Michael Davis near Cabot, Arkansas, United States. Davis claims before he could get his patrol vehicle into park, Brittain opened his door and quickly exited the vehicle. One blanket statement won't cover it, Lawrence said. "We hunger for additional evidence in these contested encounters," Fan said, but "even having the video is not going to lead to one conclusion that everybody shares. Hunter Brittains life mattered just as much as Andrew Browns. All rights reserved. During an interview with investigators, Davis said before he could put his vehicle in park after initiating the traffic stop, he heard the trucks engine rev up and begin to travel southbound in the northbound lane on Arkansas 89 but did not notify dispatch on the radio that he was in pursuit because he realized the truck was attempting to turn left into Mahoneys body shop. The report from the Pulaski County coroner in Little Rock says that Hunter Brittain, 17, was killed during a predawn June 23 traffic stop when he stepped from his truck and approached the deputy . According to 16-year-old Jordan King, who was in the vehicle with Brittain, the truck was having gear trouble and would not remain in park, so Brittain exited to place a container behind a tire in order to keep it from backing up into the squad car. In the first half of 2021 alone, police have already killed 530 people, according to the research collective Mapping Police Violence. UPDATE: This is Hunter Brittain. Ukrainian human rights lawyer says country needs Western h King Charles to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage and give to Andrew, 'Elvis' star Austin Butler was rushed to ER after 'body just started shutting down', Drug-resistant stomach bug spreading across US: 'Serious public health alert', Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell Spare released, Jordyn Woods supports Selena Gomez amid singers feud with Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, RHONJ recap: Jennifer Aydin mocks Rachel Fudas terrible nose job, Heroic bus driver saves student from passing car, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of Today After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. SPEAKERS: From left, lawyers Devon Jacob and Ben Crump, and Rev. Redfin Premier. As a result, there have only been nine days this year where police did not kill someone. However, Davis, after allegedly issuing commands, fired one round, piercing Brittains arm and striking him in the lower-right neck. Nothing from CNN nor MSNBC. As I said that day, we may come from different backgrounds and might not agree on politics, but this is bigger than that; all of us want to see our children come home at night safe and protected. The horrific death of young Hunter Brittain sadly shows us that no one is safe until there is true police reform and accountability. Phillips mentioned during the interview, Davis was asked to clarify if he could see Brittains hands or see what was in Brittains hands prior to discharging his county-issued firearm. Al Sharpton. [emphasis added. Davis was fired because he hadnt activated his bodycam during the shooting but attorneys for Brittains family say Sheriff John Staley should have fired Davis for shooting Brittain, a white teenager whose death drew national headlines and attention from civil rights activists. Qualified immunity for law officers must end, he said, to an ovation. In 2015, Oklahoma passed a law that, in part, stated that body camera videos should be publicly released if they depict use of force by police. Friends and family of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain gather outside the Pope County Courthouse in Russellville, Arkansas on Friday. The Lonoke County Sheriff's Office said it has turned the investigation of the shooting over to Arkansas State Police. His uncle, Jesse Brittain, said the family wouldn't stop advocating until there was justice for Hunter and he also invoked "unjust killings". People will bring their preconceived notions to interpreting what they see.". ET on weekends on MSNBC. When Brittain remarked that we must end qualified immunity, he received a standing ovation and rightfully so. He later died at North Little Rock Hospital. But in this case, as in all the cases I have taken, it isnt just about Black or white; its about whats right and wrong. 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