Michael Davis of the Lonoke County sheriff's office are shown in this undated combination of courtesy photos. Press J to jump to the feed. I never touched it, Graham said when asked about the file. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. I do all the on-call stuff, Graham said in a phone conversation last week. The civil rights attorneys, who represented George Floyds family after Minneapolis police killed him in May 2020, said: Hunter deserved better. The county has not decided whether to grant the hearing, County Attorney Allen Dodson said Wednesday. Davis, who was originally charged with felony manslaughter, fatally shot Brittain who was test-driving his truck after working on it all night. Are people gonna have to fear for their life again? 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 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.. Brittain was up late working on the vehicles transmission before taking the test drive, family members have said. All rights reserved. I didn't say he was a mean guy. The teen didnt respond to verbal commands given by the deputy, Necomb said. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. Due to that failure, I have terminated the employment of this deputy, the sheriff said in a video statement on Facebook. 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. 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. The teen was having trouble shifting the truck into park, according to a friend in the car at the time, so Mr Brittain jumped out of the car to retrieve a jug in the trucks bed he used as a backstop for the ageing vehicle. But we are going to change that. Alissa Marque Heydari, deputy director for the Institute of Innovation in Prosecution at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, says it is recommended that if a prosecuting office is involved in an investigation, the office is staffed by prosecutors and investigators who are completely internally separate from the rest of the office. Davis then moves to sit in another vehicle by himself. The car, which had transmission issues, began smoking and was pulled over by Davis as it neared the repair shop. Jordan King told police that the two had been working on the truck's transmission all night and were test driving it. A medical examiner from the Arkansas State Crime lab that confirmed Brittain was shot in the neck, was also called to the stand on Wednesday. He took a life.. Unfortunately no one was ever trained on what the "if possible" meant. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. On Nov. 15, former Lonoke County Sgt. "Why'd he hop out of the truck and grab that? Mike Davis near a body shop in Cabot. Davis was originally charged with felony manslaughter Sept. 17. King, 16 at the time, said the teens had previously used a coolant container to stop the truck from rolling back. Another witness who was nearby during the shooting said he was at the shop waiting on Brittain and a friend when he heard the gunshots. 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 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 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. 1, we dont have situations like this very often, he said. 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. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. 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. One bullet can go through and cause injury in more than one location, Newcomb said. Hes currently being held in an undisclosed jail, after being booked in Lonoke County. Phillips received the investigative file on July 15, according to an email from the prosecutor coordinating office. Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off orders over 15 with this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. What has been the reaction to the shooting? Sharpton eulogized 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, who was shot and killed by a white Lonoke County sheriffs deputy, Sgt. We hope that the jury can see the things that we see," she said. "[It's] going to cost him $15,000 to go home and be with his family, while we're at a loss. On 1 July, the the sheriffs office announced it had fired sergeant Davis for failing to comply with the agencys body camera policy. Newcomb has said Brittain was pulled over by Davis because his vehicle was smoking heavily and an engine was knocking. 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. 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. 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. Arkansas State Police are investigating Brittains death. No. At that point, that was within a couple days of the event.. But it turned out to just be a jug of antifreeze. Once we have the autopsy report, we will know more.. 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. Minutes after the shooting, a third deputy starts to console Davis while still at the scene. 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. The biggest thing about his testimony was that he said he never heard Davis give any verbal cues until after Brittain was shot. Devon Jacob, Brittains familys attorney, described the report as unclear. If convicted, he could face three to 10 years in prison. I didnt get into this job to kill people, he said. 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." "We're glad that we're finally at this point. (AP) The Rev. Crump questioned Grahams involvement in the case in response to inquiries Wednesday by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Special prosecutors, who dont have connections to the police agency, are then appointed by the Arkansas prosecutor coordinator, Bob McMahan. As Brittain did this, Davis shot one round at Brittain in his lower right neck. Davis has been with the Sheriff's Office since 2013. The family of Brittain has hired Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump to represent them in the case. Staley also said the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office does not have dash cameras on its police vehicles. King was in the car with Brittain in the early morning hours of June 23, 2021. Michael Davis shot and killed 17-year-old Hunter Brittain has been released. Both are representing Brittains family. 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. He said Davis missed one of the three steps needed to activate the camera. While the verdict isn't something they agree with, the Brittain family said they do accept it. Davis said he gave commands to Brittain to show his hands that were ignored. 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. 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. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. During the trial, King told the jury that Brittain had been working on replacing his transmission all night. How much help are American volunteers in Ukraine? 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. BEEBE, Ark. 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