Mike Davis plead not guilty to felony manslaughter in the death of Hunter Brittain. Al Sharpton and attorneys for George Floyds family on Tuesday mourned a white Arkansas teenager fatally shot by a sheriffs deputy, as they urged support across racial lines for efforts to reform police practices. That is why it is very crucial for prosecutors to be as clear and transparent as they can be. James Golden, a professor of criminal justice at the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, echoed Marque Heydaris comments. Attorney Ben Crump and Jacob were retained by Brittains family in the days after the shooting as the case received national attention. 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. 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. Davis, who was originally charged with felony manslaughter, fatally shot Brittain who was test-driving his truck after working on it all night. Due to that failure, I have terminated the employment of this deputy, the sheriff said in a video statement on Facebook. (NWA Media). 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. Davis, Newcomb said. Brittains death has received national attention in the wake of other fatal shootings involving police. 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. [2] Killing [ edit] It was unclear what impact Sharptons and the attorneys calls for action would have in Lonoke County, a rural county of 73,000 people that is 90% white. They have also pushed for state laws that would require officers to have their body cameras on their entire shift. You know, he'll go back to force," she said. 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. After a short break, open arguments started around 2:30 p.m. 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. Devon Jacob, Brittains familys attorney, described the report as unclear. 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. Davis is white. 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. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. "There's a lot of wrongful police and I'm not saying all police are bad because I have law enforcement in my family, but it's the ones, like this, that give them bad names and he needs to be held accountable for it," he said. Davis claimed he didn't realize he didn't turn on his body camera until after the shots were fired. Hunter's Uncle, Jesse Brittain, said all they wanted was acknowledgment and an apology. The only one who has been accurate on that is Sgt. Brittain was transferred to a nearby hospital where he died from the gunshot wound. Even though it's not the ending he wanted, defense attorney Robert Newcomb said juries often go with the lesser charge. Your life had meaning, youre loved and your family will not stop advocating until we have justice for you, Hunter, he 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. Ive had him for the last five years of his life, his grandmother Rebecca Payne said after the killing. 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. There is no body camera footage of the incident, though the officer had a camera in his possession. Davis has been with the Sheriff's Office since 2013. 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 case made national headlines and gained the attention of civil-rights activists, including the Rev. The next day, the Arkansas State Police passed the investigation file to Grahams office. Moving forward, both Brittain's family and Michael Davis will be involved in separate civil lawsuits against the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office. Hey, ever wounder what happened at the end of that case?? (AP) The Rev. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Davis said mentioned several things that led to him firing his gun. 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. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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. We hope that the jury can see the things that we see," she said. She said that is easier for larger prosecuting offices to implement. Hes currently being held in an undisclosed jail, after being booked in Lonoke County. 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. But King said Davis never gave any commands to Brittain before he shot him. Attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob, representing Brittains family, criticized the sheriff for not firing Davis over the shooting itself. Arkansas State Police are investigating Brittains death. Newcomb, a Little Rock attorney who often represents police officers, requested a grievance hearing on behalf of Davis from Lonoke County. Pierson pled guilty to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. And also justice for all of our other brothers and sisters dying at the hands of law enforcement hired to protect and serve us around this country.. Brittain made his way to the truck bed, where he grabbed a blue coolant jug. Crump previously released a statement that Brittain was shot three times by Lonoke County sheriffs Sgt. 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. The Lonoke County prosecutors office had contact with the Arkansas State Police before and after recusing itself because of an unavoidable conflict in the investigation into the fatal shooting June 23 of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain by a sheriffs deputy. "I don't think it's fair. Print Headline: Lonoke deputy fatally shot teen Hunter Brittain in neck, arm, coroner says, Copyright 2023, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. The civil rights attorneys, who represented George Floyds family after Minneapolis police killed him in May 2020, said: Hunter deserved better. He said Davis gave verbal commands directing Brittain stay in the vehicle. State Police say Hunter Britain, 17 was shot and killed by Sergeant Michael Davis. The vehicle was smoking and making loud noises, Davis and King have said. The sheriff said he respected the jurys decision. who was shot and killed by a white Lonoke County sheriffs deputy. 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. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The case has garnered national attention, as calls for police reform continue around the country in the wake of last summers widespread Black Lives Matter protests. 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. The civil-rights attorneys also represented the family of George Floyd, who died in 2020 while in police custody in Minneapolis. Brittains family retained Ben Crump and Devin Jacob just days after the shooting. This is the ideal, Marque Heydari said. Davis was fired by the Lonoke county sheriff, John Staley, for not turning on his body camera until after shooting Brittain. The former deputy said Brittain wasn't listening and his hands were in the back of the truck and that's when Davis fired at Brittain. At that point, that was within a couple days of the event.. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. Davis could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. 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. Video at arkansasonline.com/mdavis/. The family is going to continue to trust the process, Jacob said. The Lonoke Co. sheriff said he supports the public release of body cam video in the fatal shooting of Hunter Brittain when the "State Police investigation allow it." More Videos Next up in 5 One bullet can go through and cause injury in more than one location, Newcomb said. Staley said the only footage police have is from the aftermath. During his instruction it states that you must tell the subject you are going to shoot them before "if possible." Highway Patrol trooper on leave after fatal Morton County shooting. 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. The two government bodies work separately but lean on each other to take criminal cases to fruition. Rice's camera moves at about 19 minutes into his video, and Brittain is no longer on the ground. One of their witnesses included a law enforcement officer who has trained many officers of when to use deadly force. 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. 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. Because he is not here, we all have to unite together and make sure people all over America know that we will get justice for Hunter Brittain, Crump said. I dont want to jeopardize this case, its too important, he said. Call if you have any questions. Graham sent a text the next day to an unknown person in the police agency saying, Ive got you in my phone, call me anytime. No matter which side you looked at, it was a difficult week for everyone. Heres what you need to know. We acknowledge that is going to be much harder in a smaller office. The institute released a tool kit in 2019 to help prosecutors when addressing officer-involved fatalities. After Phillips announcement that a warrant would be issued for Davis arrest on Friday, the courtroom burst into cheers. The only one who has been accurate on that is Sgt. As I have said since day one, this was a tragic event and we all need to continue praying for those involved," Staley said. My nephew, Hunter, is laying in a grave or refrigeration and this man is going to get to go home," he said. 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. Didn't put the truck in park, nothing," Davis says. Jordan King told police that the two had been working on the truck's transmission all night and were test driving it. 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 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. Hunter Brittain (left) and then-Sgt. You could always say Mr. Graham should have stepped away immediately but that is hindsight, Newcomb said. The misdemeanor charge enables Davis to still be eligible to serve as a law enforcement officer. 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. Michael Davis took the stand as the defense's last witness. 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