Killing of 17-Year-Old During Traffic Stop Spurs Protest
Protesters and family members gathered outside an Arkansas police station to protest the killing of Hunter Brittain, who was shot June 23 after he returned to his truck, according to an eyewitness, to prevent it from ramming a police car.
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17-year-old Hunter Brittain was gunned down by police in Lonoke, Ark., on June 23, prompting a gathering of protesters, including family and friends, outside the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office, reports WSWS.org. Brittain was pulled over by Sergeant Michael Davis in the early morning, but his truck, which the teenager had been continually repairing and working throughout the night, would not go into park, prompting Brittain to exit the vehicle and reach for a blue oil jug in the truck bed to put behind the vehicle so as to prevent the truck from rolling into Davis’ squad car.
According to Jordan King, Brittain’s 16-year-old friend and an eye-witness, Davis, without issuing any commands, immediately drew his weapon and fatally shot Brittain. King explained that a second police officer arrived at the scene and detained him. He mentioned his confusion as to why the deputy would shoot Brittain when he brandished no weapon and did not appear threatening. Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley released a video on Facebook Wednesday in which he states that he had provided state police with body camera footage of the shooting. Claiming that he handed over the video without having viewed it, he adds that while everyone wants the truth, he isn’t sure how much of the incident was captured on camera.
