Killing of Hunter Brittain

Killing of Hunter Brittain
Location	Near Cabot, Arkansas, U.S.
Date	June 23, 2021;3 years ago (2021-06-23) c. 3:00 a.m. (CDT)
Attack type	Child homicide by shooting, police killing
Victim	Hunter Brittain, aged 17
Perpetrator	Michael Davis
Verdict	Not guilty of manslaughter Guilty of negligent homicide
Charges	Manslaughter Negligent homicide
Sentence	1 year in jail plus $1,000 fine
Litigation	Lawsuit filed against Davis by Brittain's family [1]

At approximately 3:00 am (CDT) on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, who was unarmed, was fatally shot by Lonoke County sheriff's deputy Sgt. Michael Davis near Cabot, Arkansas, United States. He later died at North Little Rock Hospital. ^[2]

Killing

Brittain was attempting to use a jug of antifreeze to stop his truck from rolling into the officer's vehicle when the deputy shot him. ^[2] Brittain's family claimed he was test driving a truck, which he had been working on when he was pulled over by the deputy. ^[3]

Aftermath

The body camera of the deputy was turned over to Arkansas State Police. ^[4] The camera was not on during the shooting. ^[5] Davis was fired for leaving his body cam off until after Brittain was shot. ^[6]

The death of Brittain inspired protests. ^[7] Attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob are representing Brittain's family. At a memorial for Brittain, he was eulogized by Reverend Al Sharpton. ^[7]

Brittain's family and friends have proposed "Hunter's Law". The law would require all Arkansas police officers to wear a body camera which would be kept turned on during their shift. ^[8]

Davis was found guilty at trial in March 2022 of negligent homicide, but not guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to one year in jail plus a $1,000 fine. One year in jail is the maximum sentence for negligent homicide in Arkansas. ^{[9] [10] [11]} However, Davis appealed his conviction and was released until a decision could made on the appeal. Controversy emerged in August 2023 after Davis was seen greeting elementary school students. ^[12] In September 2023, the Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld Davis' conviction in a 3-0 ruling ^{[13] [14]} Despite the fact that Davis could've asked the Supreme Court of Arkansas to review the Court of Appeals decision, it was acknowledged that the Court of Appeals decision paved the way for him to begin serving his sentence. ^[14]

References

1. "Hunter Brittain family files lawsuit against former deputy, Lonoke County sheriff". June 23, 2022.
2. Ockerman, Emma (June 28, 2021). "A Teen Was Having Car Trouble. A Sheriff's Deputy Shot and Killed Him". Vice News .
3. Brantley, Max (June 23, 2021). "Lonoke deputy shoots, kills youth after traffic stop UPDATE". Arkansas Times .
4. Geary, Greg (June 28, 2021). "Cousin of teen killed by deputy walks with American flag to remember last moments alive". The Daily Citizen. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021.
5. Carroll, Scott (July 1, 2021). "Arkansas deputy fired after fatally shooting teen; body camera wasn't on, sheriff says". KATV.
6. DeMillo, Andrew (July 1, 2021). "Deputy who shot Arkansas teen fired for leaving body cam off". AP News.
7. DeMillo, Andrew (July 6, 2021). "Al Sharpton eulogizes white Arkansas teen shot by deputy". AP News.
8. Hayes, Mills (June 29, 2021). "Arkansas teen killed by deputy leads supporters to propose 'Hunter's Law'". KATV.
9. "Arkansas deputy sentenced to one year for teen's traffic stop death". March 19, 2022.
10. "Former deputy found guilty of negligent homicide in Arkansas teen's death". March 14, 2022.
11. "Former Lonoke County Sheriff's Deputy sentenced for the death of unarmed teen". March 21, 2022.
12. "Former Lonoke County deputy convicted of negligent homicide seen greeting elementary school students". August 25, 2022.
13. Arkansas Court of Appeals, Division III (September 27, 2023). "Michael Davis v. State OF Arkansas (Majority, with Concurring)". Justia. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
14. Lynch, John (September 28, 2023). "State Court of Appeals upholds Lonoke County deputy's negligent homicide conviction in teen's shooting death". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette . Retrieved November 4, 2024.