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. Davis, Newcomb said. He also shared what made him fear for his life, which consequently made him fire his gun. 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.. Hunter Brittains family has called for police reform, including an end to qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that shields many police officers from legal action when accused of committing crimes in the court of their duty. Unfortunately no one was ever trained on what the "if possible" meant. [2] Killing [ edit] "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. When asked what that might include, he said, Not much for the state police. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 300 hours of community service. Davis claimed in that interview that he shouted at Brittain to "show me our hands." Davis turned himself inon Friday, Sept. 17, after the special prosecuting attorney issued an arrest warrant for manslaughter. According to his family members, he went to place a large blue plastic bottle. "I was not happy. What happened to the officer who shot Hunter Brittain? Michael Davis, during a traffic stop June 23 near Cabot, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. 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. 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. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Davis then moves to sit in another vehicle by himself. 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of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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 only one who has been accurate on that is Sgt. The civil-rights attorneys also represented the family of George Floyd, who died in 2020 while in police custody in Minneapolis. 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 gone wrong. What happened the night Hunter Brittain died? While it is difficult to wait for answers, it is important that the investigation that occurs is both fair and complete.. Former Arkansas deputy Michael Davis was found guilty of negligent homicide in the shooting death of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. Are people going to have to fear for their lives again? she told reporters. Davis shot Brittain once while Brittain's hands were still in the truck bed, according to Davis' statement to state police investigators and his testimony while on the stand. Davis has been with the Sheriff's Office since 2013. Michael Davis guilty of negligent homicide in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. Al Sharpton, left, and attorney Benjamin Crump, right, escort Rebecca Payne to view her grandson's casket during the funeral service for 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, at the Beebe High Schools Auditorium in Beebe, Ark. 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. There is no body camera footage of the incident, though the officer had a camera in his possession. The misdemeanor charge enables Davis to still be eligible to serve as a law enforcement officer. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. The car, which had transmission issues, began smoking and was pulled over by Davis as it neared the repair shop. Crump and Jacob invoked other people killed by police, including Breonna Taylor, a Kentucky woman who was fatally shot during a botched police raid. While investigating the incident, Lonoke County Sheriff's Office discovered that Davis' body camera footage had only been turned on after Brittain had been shot. Staley said the only footage police have is from the aftermath. 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. 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 a public memorial for Brittain earlier this week, Rev. The only one who has been accurate on that is Sgt. Closing arguments lasted a little over an hour. He later died at North Little Rock Hospital. Brittain was fatally shot by a deputy during a traffic stop . The video was first seen by the public during the first day of Davis' trial. Multiple Brittain family members rushed from the room as graphic images of the 17-year-old played out on a screen. The jurys decision is a declaration that an Arkansas law enforcement officer, in full uniform, unlawfully killed Hunter Brittain, the attorneys said. As they were getting pulled over, King said they were laughing and thought it was funny because the truck was smoking. 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. He has not responded to numerous emails requesting updates on the investigation, including a message sent Wednesday. The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the case. Brittain turned into a lot off the highway and jumped out of the vehicle, which was rolling backward, Newcomb said Wednesday. 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. 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. After a few minutes, he can be heard crying. After a short break, open arguments started around 2:30 p.m. He told the state police when he was interviewed by them that he shot one time and why. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The biggest thing about his testimony was that he said he never heard Davis give any verbal cues until after Brittain was shot. 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. 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. On Rice's footage, crime tape starts to go up as he gets Brittain's name from King. The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the case. A passenger and another witness testified they never heard Davis tell the teen to show his hands. Prosecuting attorney, Jeff Phillips said the state is fine with the verdict but the sentencing wasn't what they expected. There's no way around it and nobody's gonna change my mind about it," he said. One officer was convicted of murder in Floyds death. When Brittain was shot, Davis said that's when he saw a container in Brittain's hands that fell to the ground. 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. Family members said Brittain was grabbing a container that held antifreeze to place behind the trucks wheel, to stop it rolling backward. The document says what it says, Jacob said. 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. Ex-deputy charged with manslaughter in death of Arkansas teen out on bond. Jury deliberations lasted less than three hours. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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 only thing that bothered me is that they checked with Graham and they wouldnt let us look at the video, Newcomb said. 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 defense also added and went through every reason why Davis feared for his life and fired the gun. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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. Brittains death has received national attention in the wake of other fatal shootings involving police. 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. Davis said he could not see the 17-year-old's hands before shooting. This is the ideal, Marque Heydari said. The civil rights attorneys, who represented George Floyds family after Minneapolis police killed him in May 2020, said: Hunter deserved better. Some of Brittains family members have said a witness to the shooting claims Davis didnt offer verbal commands before the shooting. It was emotional for witnesses and Brittain's family, many of them had to step out of the courtroom. "Why'd he hop out of the truck and grab that? King responds that the truck wouldn't shift into park. Davis told investigators he shot Brittain once in the neck after the teen exited his truck and reached into the bed of the pickup while failing to comply with commands to show his hands, according to the arrest affidavit. Brittain was eulogized last year by the civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton, who said the death highlighted the need for interracial support for changes in policing. Pierson pled guilty to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Because of the great public interest in this case, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has made the video available, but with two alterations: The view of the victims body has been blurred by our staff out of sensitivity, and the video, which is nearly 19 minutes long, has been shortened to about 15 1/2 minutes to eliminate portions that had no audio or meaningful video. Davis testified that he thought the teen was grabbing for a gun. One of their witnesses included a law enforcement officer who has trained many officers of when to use deadly force. The jury was asked a series of questions related to law enforcement and their opinions. 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