His press conference on Friday was brief and he refused to take questions. Are people gonna have to fear for their life again? Davis said mentioned several things that led to him firing his gun. "We're glad that we're finally at this point. Attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob, representing Brittains family, criticized the sheriff for not firing Davis over the shooting itself. Davis was fired from the Lonoke County sheriff's office on July 1 after Sheriff John Staley said Davis violated policy by not turning on his camera prior to encountering Brittain. Former Arkansas deputy Michael Davis was found guilty of negligent homicide in the shooting death of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. He took the vehicle for a test drive down Highway 89, outside of the city of Cabot, Arkansas, and was pulled over as the car began to smoke and cause a racket. Authorities have released few details about the shooting. Videos from body cameras show moments after deputy fired fatal shot, The Arkansas State Police released video Friday from the body camera of former Lonoke County Deputy Michael Davis, taken the night 17-year-old Hunter Brittain was fatally shot during a traffic stop near Cabot. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Once he gets back? Scott Hundley said this is the beginning of what's going to be a long week for those close to Brittain. Once we have the autopsy report, we will know more.. 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. Brittains family retained Ben Crump and Devin Jacob just days after the shooting. Were ready to find out something. Print Headline: Lonoke deputy fatally shot teen Hunter Brittain in neck, arm, coroner says, Copyright 2023, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. Brittain was transferred to a nearby hospital where he died from the gunshot wound. Its about right and wrong.. Press J to jump to the feed. Crump and Jacob have been involved in high-profile homicide cases that include those of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery. Every state, every locality, is different, Marque Heydari said. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. What has been the reaction to the shooting? Davis said all of these things were the reason he felt afraid for his life and thought Brittain "was going to kill him.". We'll never have Hunter standing with us again.". They think that it is not appropriate for anybody who has a conflict of interest to weigh in and deny them due process of a fair and impartial and completely independent investigation as to what happened to their child. Newcomb said he wasnt concerned with the file being passed to Graham. Multiple Brittain family members rushed from the room as graphic images of the 17-year-old played out on a screen. 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. CPR is started almost immediately. I think its murder, she said. 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. The law states that records, files and information kept, obtained or retained by the lab are privileged and confidential and that only a defendant, attorney of defendant or prosecuting attorney can be granted access to records pertaining to a defendants criminal case.. King was in the car with Brittain in the early morning hours of June 23, 2021. Sadly there is not really anyone who we can point to here in Arkansas who is a quote and quote expert who can talk on this because it is untreaded territory right now. 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. The passenger in Brittains truck said he and the teen had been working on the pickups transmission. The only thing that bothered me is that they checked with Graham and they wouldnt let us look at the video, Newcomb said. Former Arkansas deputy Michael Davis was found guilty of negligent homicide in the shooting death of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. There's no way around it and nobody's gonna change my mind about it," he said. 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 Sheriffs Office. 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. 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. The people of this county are good, decent people and they, like me, want to see accountability and transparency in this situation, Staley wrote on the offices Facebook page. Both were lawyers in George Floyd's murder case. 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. According to family members, Brittain had been working on the vehicles transmission and was taking a test drive when he was stopped by Davis. Shortly after the shooting, Davis was fired by the Lonoke County Sheriffs Office for breaking their body-camera policy. Davis and King have said that Brittain jumped out of the truck as soon as he stopped for Davis. The family is going to continue to trust the process, Jacob said. 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 charge was brought by special prosecutor Jeff Phillips of the 5th Judicial District after Lonoke County prosecutor Chuck Graham recused himself from the case. 27 June 2021 Protesters gathered outside the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office last Wednesday in Lonoke, Arkansas, consisting of friends and family of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, who was gunned. The family of Mr Brittain, who dreamed of being a NASCAR racing driver, was heartbroken over the shooting and called for full transparency from the sheriffs department. Brttain went to the bed to get something(transmission fluid / anti-freeze) for the truck. the officer fired 1 shot killing the teen. Michael Davis of the Lonoke County sheriff's office are shown in this undated combination of courtesy photos. (Photo courtesy of Arkansas State Police). After a few minutes, he can be heard crying. Davis said that before he could put his own car in park, Brittain jumped out and moved to the rear of the truck and began reaching into the bed as it slowly rolled backward. 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 report was first requested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on July 8. A video from Rice, who arrived within minutes of the shooting, shows King on the ground in cuffs as Davis yells. On June 23, Hunter's life was cut short when a Lonoke County sheriff's deputy fatally shot him during a traffic stop. Neither Brittains nor Davis attorneys are supportive of Grahams decision to withhold body-camera footage. 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. At about seven minutes into the video, another deputy arrives and says, "Why don't we just chill and stop talking now?". While it is difficult to wait for answers, it is important that the investigation that occurs is both fair and complete.. What were the ramification to the LEO that decided to break their oath?? Some of Brittains family members have said a witness to the shooting claims Davis didnt offer verbal commands before the shooting. Davis testified that he thought the teen was grabbing for a gun. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. That's what this jury says, that's a strong finding," he said. On 1 July, the the sheriffs office announced it had fired sergeant Davis for failing to comply with the agencys body camera policy. The two conflicting narratives were hampered by the fact that Davis body camera was never turned on during the quick encounter. 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. After the verdict was announced, Brittains family and friends chanted Justice for Hunter outside the national guard facility used for the trial. 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.". What happened the night Hunter Brittain died? Heres what you need to know. The document says what it says, Jacob said. According to the Lonoke County Sheriffs Office, Sergeant Michael Davis initiated the traffic stop at 3 a.m. on June 23. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe). Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. The teen was having trouble shifting the truck into park, according to a friend in the car at the time, so Mr Brittain jumped out of the car to retrieve a jug in the trucks bed he used as a backstop for the ageing vehicle. Even before the memorial service, Brittains friends and family were calling for change at the state level with petitions urging the Legislature to require officers to wear body cameras that would be turned on as soon as their shift begins. 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. Davis then moves to sit in another vehicle by himself. Ive had him for the last five years of his life, his grandmother Rebecca Payne said after the killing. The jury learned the character of Davis about how he is a volunteer firefighter, a father, and has a child on the way. Davis said he gave commands to Brittain to show his hands that were ignored. "Why'd he hop out of the truck and grab that? Staley noted this was a department policy violation and used that as justification for Davis being fired. The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory cant publicly release the autopsy report because of Arkansas Code 1212-312, Director Kermit Channell said. "I was hoping for a not guilty verdict on both charges. Brittain turned into a lot off the highway and jumped out of the vehicle, which was rolling backward, Newcomb said Wednesday. 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The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. Davis attorney, Robert Newcomb, said the report throws doubt on earlier statements from Brittains family members and their attorneys that the teen was shot three times. Your life had meaning, youre loved and your family will not stop advocating until we have justice for you, Hunter, his uncle Jesse said at his eulogy. Michael Davis to spend a year in jail but acquitted of manslaughter over death of Hunter Brittain, 17, during June traffic stop. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. The witness said that Davis was in compliance with his training. 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. Davis said he could not see the 17-year-old's hands before shooting. Phillips was passed the investigative file by the coordinating office July 15, according to an email from McMahan. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Rison hit by Wednesday night storm damage, Arkansas state legislators hit the court in Hoops, Growing old and hungry: Shelbys Pantry in Carlisle, Arkansas LEARNS Act passes through House Education, Windshield covers and other handy gear you need for, 18 trendy cowboy boots to wear this winter, 18 books youll want to read on Dr. Seuss Day, AR legislators play in charity basketball game, AR pantry helps to end hunger in elderly community, LEARNS Act passes through House Ed. Davis claimed in that interview that he shouted at Brittain to "show me our hands." Relatives say former US Marine killed fighting in, What about Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner left in, Russia frees US Marine vet as part of prisoner exchange, Strike kills 50 at crowded Ukraine rail station, Pink Floyd members reunite and record song for Ukraine, US to send $100M more in military aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian poisonings kill 2 Russian soldiers: officials, NLR Baptist Health opens new critical care unit, Mayflower police make arrest in deadly I-40 shooting, Arkansas State Parks kicks off centennial celebration, Every Child Arkansas bringing change to foster care, AST Blog: Remembering March 1997 tornado outbreak, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It's not that this isn't a shocking and tragic. Robert Newcomb, Daviss attorney, said he planned to challenge the standard jurors used to determine whether Davis was negligent. While the verdict isn't something they agree with, the Brittain family said they do accept it. Crump and Jacob invoked other people killed by police, including Breonna Taylor, a Kentucky woman who was fatally shot during a botched police raid. The defense also added and went through every reason why Davis feared for his life and fired the gun. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. He is the first law enforcement officer to be convicted by an Arkansas jury for an on-duty shooting in recent history. 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. If there is a conflict of interest that exists and you are aware of that conflict of interest and you participate then it certainly would appear to the public that there is a hint of impropriety, Crump said. Phillips received the investigative file on July 15, according to an email from the prosecutor coordinating office. The maximum jail term faced by Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke county sheriffs office, was one year. Example video title will go here for this video. If convicted, he could face three to 10 years in prison. Al Sharpton gave a eulogy asking for the public to come together to help push for policing reforms. 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. Well, wonder no more! Send it to The Daily Beasthere. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 300 hours of community service. "I don't think it's fair. Didn't put the truck in park, nothing," Davis says. On July 1, over a week after Brittain's death, Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley announced through a Facebook video Thursday that former Sergeant Mike Davis was fired due to policy violations. 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