The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the case. The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory cant publicly release the autopsy report because of Arkansas Code 1212-312, Director Kermit Channell said. Didn't put the truck in park, nothing," Davis says. 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of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The passenger in Brittains truck said he and the teen had been working on the pickups transmission. If convicted, he could face three to 10 years in prison. The state police were delayed in releasing the footage immediately after the trial as they waited on formal paperwork from the Lonoke County Circuit Court. He later died at North Little Rock Hospital. The email went on to state, Chuck Graham, Lonoke Prosecuting Attorney, has further opposed the release of the body camera footage related to this incident at this time. When asked by the Democrat-Gazette, Graham confirmed that he continued to communicate with the state police agency up until filing his recusal. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Michael Davis shot and killed 17-year-old Hunter Brittain has been released. Hunter Brittain (left) and then-Sgt. 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. Jordan King told police that the two had been working on the truck's transmission all night and were test driving it. How much help are American volunteers in Ukraine? Brittain's family retained civil-rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Devon Jacob soon after the shooting to handle the teen's estate and any civil suits. In their closing arguments, the defense highlighted Davis' character and how he became a police officer to help people, not hurt people. The last witness called in by prosecution was Davis' former boss, Sheriff John Staley, who told the jury that Davis had issues with turning on his body camera in the past. I do all the on-call stuff, Graham said in a phone conversation last week. 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. The report was first requested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on July 8. Both are representing Brittains family. The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the 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. He took a life.. Davis could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Were going to take this and see what else [the special prosecutor in the case] has got to say and hopefully this will stick. attracted the attention of Black civil rights leaders. 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. 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.. He remains free on bond pending appeal. 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. I was working from home. It wont require a recusal, Abdul-Bey said. Multiple Brittain family members rushed from the room as graphic images of the 17-year-old played out on a screen. 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. "What the jury said is that a law enforcement officer in uniform committed a crime, and the jury has said that Hunter Brittain was unlawfully killed by Michael Davis. 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. Davis was originally charged with manslaughter, in a a case that was difficult for everyone involved. 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. "I was not happy. He has not responded to numerous emails requesting updates on the investigation, including a message sent Wednesday. While it is difficult to wait for answers, it is important that the investigation that occurs is both fair and complete.. He said Davis gave verbal commands directing Brittain stay in the vehicle. The only thing that bothered me is that they checked with Graham and they wouldnt let us look at the video, Newcomb said. Hey, ever wounder what happened at the end of that case?? 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. Well, wonder no more! There are no cameras allowed inside the courtroom and that's how it's going to be for the remainder of the week and for the rest of this trial. During his instruction it states that you must tell the subject you are going to shoot them before "if possible." 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. 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. After a few minutes, he can be heard crying. When asked what that might include, he said, Not much for the state police. Lonoke County Prosecutor Chuck Graham said he had received the Arkansas State Police case file on the deadly shooting of the teen during a June 23 . 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. The state rested their case and the defense will start on Thursday, March 17, at 9 a.m. During the third day of trial, the defense brought up their witnesses. 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. I think its murder, she said. If convicted of manslaughter, Davis could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison. "We're glad that we're finally at this point. The maximum jail term faced by Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke county sheriffs office, was one year. 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. Hunter did nothing wrong, just like we felt George Floyd did nothing wrong, Sharpton told reporters before the memorial. People protesting the killing of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain doing burnouts in the parking lot of the Lonoke County sheriff's office. The two conflicting narratives were hampered by the fact that Davis body camera was never turned on during the quick encounter. The only one who has been accurate on that is Sgt. This is the ideal, Marque Heydari said. Brittain was fatally shot by a deputy during a traffic stop . He told the state police when he was interviewed by them that he shot one time and why. On 1 July, the the sheriffs office announced it had fired sergeant Davis for failing to comply with the agencys body camera policy. We'll never have Hunter standing with us again.". Its time they start letting us know something., Community members also rallied behind the Brittain family, demanding Justice for Hunter.. The killing in the predominantly white community has drawn the attention of national civil rights activists . It will be automatic. Abdul-Bey said prosecutors involvement in police-shooting cases has faced increased scrutiny since Little Rock resident Bradley Black-shire was fatally shot by officer Charles Starks on Feb. 22, 2019. 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. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Special prosecutors, who dont have connections to the police agency, are then appointed by the Arkansas prosecutor coordinator, Bob McMahan. 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. Davis is white. 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. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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 was test-driving a pickup truck with his cousin that the two spent the night tinkering on at a local repair shop. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment. (AP) The Rev. The police officer has a lot more situational awareness of a danger than maybe you or I would be aware of, Newcomb said. The car, which had transmission issues, began smoking and was pulled over by Davis as it neared the repair shop. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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. "We were a bit surprised about this sentencing, and that they were out in about 20 minutes and came back with a maximum sentence," he said. 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. He was my grandson. During the trial, King told the jury that Brittain had been working on replacing his transmission all night. No matter which side you looked at, it was a difficult week for everyone. Staley noted this was a department policy violation and used that as justification for Davis being fired. 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. Davis, an eight-year veteran with the Lonoke County Sheriffs office, gave the boy commands to stop and shot him before he could see what he was retrieving, which turned out to be a jug of antifreeze. Five minutes into Rice's video, someone notes that Brittain is still breathing. Ex-deputy charged with manslaughter in death of Arkansas teen out on bond. Former Arkansas deputy Michael Davis was found guilty of negligent homicide in the shooting death of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. According to family members, Brittain had been working on the vehicles transmission and was taking a test drive when he was stopped by Davis. It's not that this isn't a shocking and tragic. Brittain was up late working on the vehicles transmission before taking the test drive, family members have said. 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. The witness said that Davis was in compliance with his training. All rights reserved. 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. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, A memorial for Hunter Brittain in Beebe, Arkansas last year. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. 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. The two were test-driving the vehicle about 3 a.m when Davis pulled them over. 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, Newcomb said. 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. The two government bodies work separately but lean on each other to take criminal cases to fruition. 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. 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. A cop shot and killed Hunter Brittain as the 17-year-old was trying to grab an antifreeze jug from his car. Lonoke County Prosecutor Chuck Graham said he had received the Arkansas State Police case file on the deadly shooting of the teen during a June 23 traffic stop. King responds that the truck wouldn't shift into park. Crump and Jacob also represented the family of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died May 25, 2020, while in police custody in Minneapolis. We definitely have been trying to come up with a way, when a citizen dies by law enforcement, for there to be an additional route to investigate that, that doesnt involve any of the agencies that work with the officers, Abdul-Bey said. 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. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. Im his grandmother. We hope that the jury can see the things that we see," she 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. A jury found former Lonoke County Sgt. Hunter Brittain, the 17-year-old killed by a Lonoke County sheriffs deputy in June, died of gunshot wounds in his neck and arm, according to a coroners report released Wednesday. It makes you concerned that they are looking for a weapon. Newcomb said he isnt concerned by Grahams involvement with investigators. 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 issue of policing is not about Black and white, Reverend Al Sharpton said at a eulogy for Mr Brittain. Davis was sentenced to 1-year in jail plus a $1,000 fine. 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. Davis said he gave commands to Brittain to show his hands that were ignored. Davis,. Family members have said Brittain had been working on his trucks transmission and had been test driving it when he was pulled over. Mike Davis plead not guilty to felony manslaughter in the death of Hunter Brittain. Davis and King have said that Brittain jumped out of the truck as soon as he stopped for Davis. 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