Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.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 two government bodies work separately but lean on each other to take criminal cases to fruition. ", Davis then starts yelling at a passenger, Jordan King, "What are y'all driving the vehicle like that?". No. Once it happened to my sons best friend, I said it could happen to my son so it was too close to home to not do anything about it., Dozens of people gathered outside the sheriffs office after the memorial service for a rally with Brittains family, attorneys and the NAACP. During the trial, King told the jury that Brittain had been working on replacing his transmission all night. 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. On 1 July, the the sheriffs office announced it had fired sergeant Davis for failing to comply with the agencys body camera policy. There's no way around it and nobody's gonna change my mind about it," 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. Are people gonna have to fear for their life again? I just said that he was a good guy that made a really horrible decision and choice and so that makes it even worse," Prosecuting attorney, Jeff Phillips said. 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. King said he never heard any commands from Davis before the gunshot. [2] Killing [ edit] This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Print Headline: Lonoke deputy fatally shot teen Hunter Brittain in neck, arm, coroner says, Copyright 2023, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Are people going to have to fear for their lives again? she told reporters. 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. Rev. The teen didnt respond to verbal commands given by the deputy, Necomb said. 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. 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. The young man jumped out and ran to the back of the car and stuck his hands into the back of the vehicle and still wasnt responding to any verbal commands, Newcomb said. All rights reserved. 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. I didn't say he was a mean guy. The sentence has resulted in mixed emotions from many parties involved, that all had comments after the verdict. 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. Brittains family retained Ben Crump and Devin Jacob just days after the shooting. Some of Brittains family members have said a witness to the shooting claims Davis didnt offer verbal commands before the shooting. 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.. Larger agencies might not have the day-to-day contact with individual investigators, which you find in a small prosecutors office, Golden said. 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. Weeks later the investigative file was sent to his office, and the state polices denial regarding the release of body-camera footage related to the shooting cited Grahams opinion on the issue. 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. He told the state police when he was interviewed by them that he shot one time and why. The jury finding Davis guilty of negligent homicide instead of manslaughter, is something that worried Payne, as it means Davis could go back to wearing a badge in the future. Davis claimed in that interview that he shouted at Brittain to "show me our hands." 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. An investigator with the Arkansas State Police was called to the stand after. Minutes after the shooting, a third deputy starts to console Davis while still at the scene. The passenger in Brittains truck said he and the teen had been working on the pickups transmission. 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. 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. 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. Hes currently being held in an undisclosed jail, after being booked in Lonoke County. Rice's camera moves at about 19 minutes into his video, and Brittain is no longer on the ground. In July, Phillips, a prosecutor from a district on the other side of the state, was assigned to handle the case. It was emotional for witnesses and Brittain's family, many of them had to step out of the courtroom. 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. Melissia McMahan, who is the Brittain familys mail carrier and knew the teen since he was a toddler, said she had thought about the need for police reform before Brittains death but hadnt thought it was something her own community would face. I do all the on-call stuff, Graham said in a phone conversation last week. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Graham filed the motion for a special prosecutor on July 8, a week after a conversation with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. He later died at North Little Rock Hospital. He remains free on bond pending appeal. Rice's video also starts right before "shots fired" transmits across his radio. "It was cold-blooded murder by the Lonoke police. Hey, ever wounder what happened at the end of that case?? 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 attorney, Robert Newcomb, previously told The Daily Beast that Davis feared the worst when Brittain hopped out and reached into the bed of his truck. 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.. The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the case. He told the state police when he was interviewed by them that he shot one time and why. Special prosecutors, who dont have connections to the police agency, are then appointed by the Arkansas prosecutor coordinator, Bob McMahan. Mike Davis plead not guilty to felony manslaughter in the death of Hunter Brittain. 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. There were no indications of drug and alcohol use listed on the coroners report. 1, we dont have situations like this very often, he said. Crump and Jacob invoked other people killed by police, including Breonna Taylor, a Kentucky woman who was fatally shot during a botched police raid. Davis mentioned Brittain's 'loud' and 'smoking' truck, along with their interaction happening 3 a.m. 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. The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the case. But it turned out to just be a jug of antifreeze. When asked for more information, such as the number of times Davis shot Brittain, Shantea Nelson, office manager in the Pulaski County coroners office, said that a state medical examiners autopsy report would have more information than a coroners report. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He said Davis missed one of the three steps needed to activate the camera. 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. 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. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. 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. 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. 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. Brttain went to the bed to get something(transmission fluid / anti-freeze) for the truck. the officer fired 1 shot killing the teen. After a short break, open arguments started around 2:30 p.m. The vehicle was smoking and making loud noises, Davis and King have said. All rights reserved. One officer was convicted of murder in Floyds death. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. Heres what you need to know. 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. The biggest thing about his testimony was that he said he never heard Davis give any verbal cues until after Brittain was shot. Michael Davis, during a traffic stop June 23 near Cabot, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. 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. 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. 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. Wendy Lindsey, Hunters cousin, said in an interview shortly after the announcement on Friday that she was happy at least something was done. But she added that she didnt think the manslaughter charge for Davis was enough. [DOCUMENT: Coroners report for Noah Hunter Brittain arkansasonline.com/coronerbrittain]. The maximum jail term faced by Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke county sheriffs office, was one year. The civil-rights attorneys also represented the family of George Floyd, who died in 2020 while in police custody in Minneapolis. 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. Brittain turned into a lot off the highway and jumped out of the vehicle, which was rolling backward, Newcomb said Wednesday. On Rice's footage, crime tape starts to go up as he gets Brittain's name from King. Michael Davis of the Lonoke County sheriff's office are shown in this undated combination of courtesy photos. The trial for a former Lonoke County Sheriff's Deputy accused of killing an unarmed teenager during a traffic stop happened this week. 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. Were going to take this and see what else [the special prosecutor in the case] has got to say and hopefully this will stick. 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. 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. Hunter Brittain (left) and then-Sgt. King, 16 at the time, said the teens had previously used a coolant container to stop the truck from rolling back. 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. It's a case that's gained national attention and one that has greatly impacted the community of Lonoke and across Arkansas. 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. "Now, what's gonna happen? 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. Now whats going to happen? He was sentenced to one year of probation and 300 hours of community service. Davis said he gave commands to Brittain to show his hands that were ignored. 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. Impacted the community of Lonoke and across Arkansas guilty to felony manslaughter in the case right before shots! Year on March 2, Geisels birthday side of the Lonoke County sheriffs office, said! And King have said at the end of that case? of Hunter Brittain arkansasonline.com/coronerbrittain ] alcohol use listed the! 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