Killing of Hunter Brittain

At approximately 3 am on Wednesday June 23, 2021, 17 year old Hunter Brittain was shot by a sheriffs deputy, Michael Davis, near Cabot, Arkansas. [1] 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]

The death of Brittain inspired protests.[4] 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.[5]

In March 2022, Davis was found guilty of negligent homicide, but not guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 1 year in jail and a $1,000 fine. 1 year in jail is the maximum sentence for negligent homicide in Arkansas.[6][7][8]

References

  1. "Hunter Brittain shot by sheriffs".
  2. "A Teen Was Having Car Trouble. A Sheriff's Deputy Shot and Killed Him".
  3. "Lonoke deputy shoots, kills youth after traffic stop UPDATE". 23 June 2021.
  4. "US police 'shoot teen dead as he tried to fix his truck'".
  5. Hayes, Mills (June 29, 2021). "Arkansas teen killed by deputy leads supporters to propose 'Hunter's Law'". KATV.
  6. "Arkansas deputy sentenced to one year for teen's traffic stop death". March 19, 2022.
  7. "Former deputy found guilty of negligent homicide in Arkansas teen's death". March 14, 2022.
  8. "Former Lonoke County Sheriff's Deputy sentenced for the death of unarmed teen". March 21, 2022.