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. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. 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. King said he never heard any commands from Davis before the gunshot. The issue of policing is not about Black and white, Reverend Al Sharpton said at a eulogy for Mr Brittain. Davis was originally charged with felony manslaughter Sept. 17. 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. 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. The county has not decided whether to grant the hearing, County Attorney Allen Dodson said Wednesday. You tend to know almost all the officers, it doesnt mean you recuse on everything. Graham refused to comment further on the communications when asked by the Democrat-Gazette on Wednesday. Newcomb, a Little Rock attorney who often represents police officers, requested a grievance hearing on behalf of Davis from Lonoke County. 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 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. In July, Phillips, a prosecutor from a district on the other side of the state, was assigned to handle the case. Crump and Jacob have been involved in high-profile homicide cases that include those of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery. Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley last week fired Davis for not turning on his body camera until after he had shot Brittain. 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. A cop shot and killed Hunter Brittain as the 17-year-old was trying to grab an antifreeze jug from his car. Rice's camera moves at about 19 minutes into his video, and Brittain is no longer on the ground. The only ones are at the very top and that's so the jury will not be able to hear anything going on outside. A key piece to the kit involves prosecutors clearly outlining decisions for the public. They should have no interaction with police officers because that can create a sense of bias, Marque Heydari said. The prosecution told the jury to look at the evidence--if Davis was able to say, which he testified that he did, "show me your hands" and "get back in the vehicle," then he enough time to tell Brittain, "I am going to shoot you.". What were the ramification to the LEO that decided to break their oath?? Shortly after the shooting, Davis was fired by the Lonoke County Sheriffs Office for breaking their body-camera policy. "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. The misdemeanor charge enables Davis to still be eligible to serve as a law enforcement officer. Davis, Newcomb said. Some of Brittains family members have said a witness to the shooting claims Davis didnt offer verbal commands before the shooting. A jury found former Lonoke County Sgt. No matter which side you looked at, it was a difficult week for everyone. He said he never heard any verbal cues from Davis until after the shots were fired. He said Davis missed one of the three steps needed to activate the camera. Are people gonna have to fear for their life again? Once we have the autopsy report, we will know more.. He said each prosecutors office has to make its own determination on how to handle police shootings. All rights reserved. The family's attorney, Devon Jacob said they aren't going to focus on the charges, but rather look at the meaning behind the jury's decision. Few details about the shooting have been officially released over the past two months. 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. On Rice's footage, crime tape starts to go up as he gets Brittain's name from King. He told the state police when he was interviewed by them that he shot one time and why. They didnt say one word that I know of, he told KATV. That's all I asked for," Rebecca Payne, Brittain's grandma, said. Davis,. Moving forward, both Brittain's family and Michael Davis will be involved in separate civil lawsuits against the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office. Davis is white. Davis could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Davis has been with the Sheriff's Office since 2013. The report from the Pulaski County coroner said the initial 911 call came in at 3:08 a.m. on June 23 and Brittain was pronounced dead around 3:58 a.m. by an attending physician at Baptist Health Medical Center in North Little Rock. Staley noted this was a department policy violation and used that as justification for Davis being fired. Without all the evidence I cannot make any determination on whether the shooting was proper.. 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. Newcomb, a Little Rock attorney who often represents police officers, requested a grievance hearing on behalf of Davis from Lonoke County. The Arkansas State Police on Friday released body camera footage showing the moments after former Lonoke County sheriff's Deputy Michael Davis fatally shot Hunter Brittain during an early morning traffic stop June 23. 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. Crump questioned Grahams involvement in the case in response to inquiries Wednesday by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. (AP) The results of the investigation into a Lonoke County deputy's deadly shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain during a traffic stop have been handed over to prosecutors. 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. TIL Sam Kinison was killed by a drunk driving 17 year old, Troy Pierson. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, A memorial for Hunter Brittain in Beebe, Arkansas last year. 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. 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. He was my grandson. Neither Brittains nor Davis attorneys are supportive of Grahams decision to withhold body-camera footage. 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. They argued that the shooting shows how police violence affects all people and called for reform. Davis was originally charged with manslaughter, in a a case that was difficult for everyone involved. I was working from home. He is the first law enforcement officer to be convicted by an Arkansas jury for an on-duty shooting in recent history. Your life had meaning, youre loved and your family will not stop advocating until we have justice for you, Hunter, he said. There were no indications of drug and alcohol use listed on the coroners report. 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. 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. The case attracted attention from national civil rights leaders better known for their work with Black Lives Matter. "I don't think it's fair. 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. That's what this jury says, that's a strong finding," 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. 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. 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. During his instruction it states that you must tell the subject you are going to shoot them before "if possible." After a short break, open arguments started around 2:30 p.m. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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. The report said that a sergeant with the Lonoke County sheriffs office who has been identified as Michael Davis conducted a traffic stop at Arkansas 89 and Tower Road when the decedent [Brittain] got out of the vehicle and got something out of the back before moving toward the sergeant, after which the sergeant fired his weapon. After the verdict was announced, Brittains family and friends chanted Justice for Hunter outside the national guard facility used for the trial. Staley said on the witness stand during the trial that deputies should turn on their body cameras at about the time they initiate blue lights, if conducting traffic stops. 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. King responds that the truck wouldn't shift into park. His death sparked nationwide protests over policing and racial inequality. The case made national headlines and gained the attention of civil-rights activists, including the Rev. Who is Hunter Brittain, the 17-year-old killed by Arkansas police? The jurys decision is a declaration that an Arkansas law enforcement officer, in full uniform, unlawfully killed Hunter Brittain, the attorneys 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 maximum jail term faced by Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke county sheriffs office, was one year. "I didn't say that this defendant was a bad guy. The only thing that bothered me is that they checked with Graham and they wouldnt let us look at the video, Newcomb said. [2] Killing [ edit] 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. Print Headline: Lonoke deputy fatally shot teen Hunter Brittain in neck, arm, coroner says. "Now, what's gonna happen? 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. Sheriff John Staley said that Davis had not turned on his body camera at the start of the traffic stop and only activated the device after the shooting had happened. 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. Phillips received the investigative file on July 15, according to an email from the prosecutor coordinating office. "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. The teen didnt respond to verbal commands given by the deputy, Necomb said. The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the case. Family members have said Brittain had been working on his trucks transmission and had been test driving it when he was pulled over. 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. 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. Davis testified that he thought the teen was grabbing for a gun. Michael Davis, during a traffic stop June 23 near Cabot, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. Phillips received the investigative file on July 15, according to an email from the prosecutor coordinating office. Investigators found no firearms in or near the truck. The vehicle was smoking and making loud noises, Davis and King have said. 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. In an interview with Davis, he said he initiated the traffic stop of Brittain's white GMC truck and heard "the truck's engine rev up and then began to travel southbound in the northbound lane." They have also pushed for state laws that would require officers to have their body cameras on their entire shift. Devon Jacob, Brittains familys attorney, described the report as unclear. (Photo courtesy of Arkansas State Police). "We're glad that we're finally at this point. Both were lawyers in George Floyd's murder case. 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. Davis was sentenced to 1-year in jail plus a $1,000 fine. 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.. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 300 hours of community service. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. 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