Little Rock names officer in fatal shooting, releases 911 calls

Officer Dennis Hutchins with the Little Rock Police Department
Officer Dennis Hutchins with the Little Rock Police Department

Little Rock police Wednesday identified the officer involved in the killing of a 46-year-old man early Tuesday morning and released 911 recordings that revealed new details on the lead-up to the shooting.



Officer Dennis Hutchins, who has been with the department since 2001, said he fired his gun because he believed the man, later identified as Roy Richards, 46, was going to shoot another man in the back, according to a department press release.

Officers responded to a disturbance at 514 E. Eighth St. at 12:37 a.m. Tuesday morning, where they found two men fighting in the front yard, according to the release.

The two men stopped fighting as officers approached, and Richards walked to a dark-colored vehicle, out of the officers' view, while the other man stayed near the front steps, according to the press release.

[OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING: All updates from this week on Little Rock police shooting]

The release said the officers then saw Richards begin to chase the man while "pointing a long gun at his back."

Hutchins said he fired multiple shots at Richards and hit him, the release said. Hutchins said he fired because he believed Richards was going to shoot the other man in the back, according to the release.

Richards' uncle, Derrell Underwood, 53, later told police his nephew had driven to his house in a 2000 Chevrolet TrailBlazer and started an altercation that turned physical. He said Richards went to the vehicle and returned holding a "long gun" and began moving toward him while pointing the weapon, according to a police report.

Police said they took custody of Richards' weapon. Lt. Steve McClanahan, spokesman for Little Rock police, said the department was advised by the Pulaski County prosecuting attorney's office not to disclose the type of gun taken from the scene.

A series of 911 recordings released by the department Wednesday shed light on what led to the shooting.

According to an audio recording, Underwood called 911 and said that his nephew, Richards, was in his yard and was drunk. He said he was trying to tell Richards to leave the premises.

"Now don't hurt him, I just want him out of my yard and away from my house," he told the 911 dispatcher.

Underwood's next-door neighbor also called 911 and said a man in a vehicle had driven into the middle of his neighbor's yard and was honking his horn and yelling.

"He's making a lot of noise," the man said.

The caller said that when he asked the man to stop honking the horn, the man started threatening him.

"I don't think he's violent, he's just being verbally violent," the caller said.

Another neighbor called 911 and described the scene after Richards brandished the gun.

"There's a man with a gun, he's pulled it out, he's gonna shoot my neighbor," the caller said.

She said it was dark out.

"I don't want the guy to get killed, you know," she said.

The woman stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher. Gunfire could be heard in the background on the recording.

"I had no idea this was going to accelerate so fast," the caller said.

Metro on 10/27/2016

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