A Little Rock police officer who fatally shot a motorist suspected of driving a stolen car has been relieved of his police duties, department officials confirmed Wednesday, and the mayor said video of the stop will be released as soon as possible.
Police said previously that officer Charles Starks fired at the driver, 30-year-old Bradley Blackshire, when Blackshire hit the officer with his car during a Friday morning traffic stop at West 12th Street and South Rodney Parham Road.
The 31-year-old officer was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after the shooting. But on Tuesday he was relieved of duty, and surrendered his gun and badge. Starks remains on the payroll and is still able to return as a full-time police officer. The relieved-of-duty designation means Starks is ineligible to perform any police work that he otherwise could have while on administrative leave.
Police spokesman Eric Barnes said Wednesday that the decision came from the police administration.
The department declined to comment further.
Disciplinary records obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette show that Starks has had multiple previous complaints resulting in disciplinary action and suspensions since his 2013 hiring.
Barnes said relieving an officer of duty isn't typical, "but that's the route that this investigation is taking."
An investigation after an officer's use of force typically lets the officer continue doing some police work, but not his regular duties.
Mayor Frank Scott Jr. declined to comment Wednesday about the decision to pull Starks' police credentials and about what he saw on dashboard-camera video of the shooting.
He said there are plans to release the video, but he didn't say when.
"We plan to release the video as quickly as possible once we feel comfortable that the investigation is at the point that it can be concluded and then turned over to the prosecuting attorney," Scott said.
When asked Wednesday if he had considered having the Arkansas State Police investigate the case, Scott said he had not.
On Sunday, Scott assured Blackshire's family that he would oversee parts of the review, vowing that the case would be "fully and fairly investigated."
Arkansas attorney and former police officer Reggie Koch has been vocally critical of how police departments investigate use of deadly force. He said they often lack transparency when departments internally review themselves.
"We're about to learn I guess what [the mayor's] transparency policy is going to be," Koch said. "If he wants to help Little Rock, ... there's no way like transparency to do that."
Though he could only speculate about the significance of removing Starks' credentials, Koch said it "can't be good news for him."
The shooting has prompted some calls for the swift disclosure of video capturing what happened.
Cities across the country have at times released videos of police shootings ahead of finalized investigations, often to quell unrest and other social pressures, as well as to dispel rumors.
North Little Rock released dashboard-camera video of the deadly police shooting of 17-year-old Charles Smith Jr. last year after rumors swirled. Police said at the time that Smith fired a gun during a scuffle with officers before they shot him.
Three North Little Rock officers were cleared of any wrongdoing after a prosecutor deemed their use of force justified. The footage shows Smith firing a handgun at officers about one second before they open fire on him.
Acting Little Rock Police Chief Wayne Bewley has said Starks was likely the only person to fire a gun during the department's latest shooting. Starks was released from the hospital after being treated the same evening he was injured.
Blackshire died at the scene. A 20-year-old woman who was in the car with him wasn't injured. Investigators also found that a stray bullet had hit a vehicle.
Ronnie Morgan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the union didn't have any comment on the decision to pull Starks' gun and badge. He said he trusts the process that's been used for years in investigating officers' use of force.
"We're committing to let the process work itself through," Morgan said.
In a later statement, the union said it's backing Starks, saying that he deserves the same due process afforded to others.
"The FOP regrets the loss of life but respectfully requests everyone withhold judgment until the investigation is complete," it said.
Ultimately, the findings of the investigation into the shooting will be sent to the Little Rock prosecuting attorney's office to review for possible criminal charges, which is standard procedure.
Trisha Rhodes, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said in an email that relieving Starks of his duties within days after the shooting was unusual, based on her research on similar cases across the United States.
"It is highly unusual for a municipal police officer to be relieved of duty within such a short amount of time and, evidently, before the full investigation is complete," Rhodes wrote.
Given reports that Starks was hit and injured by Blackshire's car, Rhodes said, his use of lethal force "is not surprising or uncommon in this case." She said it could mean that information exists that will shed new light on the event, such as the officer having violated a policy.
Disciplinary records show that Starks has been reprimanded 10 times since 2015, resulting in at least 25 days of suspensions.
The heavily redacted reports don't detail reasons for a majority of the actions because they didn't result in a demotion or suspension, a police official said.
Past news coverage shows that a vehicle driven by Starks hit a motorist while responding to a 2015 robbery call near the city's west side.
The Police Department said it reviewed the crash to determine if Starks was speeding. Discipline records show that Starks was reprimanded shortly after the crash, but the reasons weren't available.
In 2016, Starks was suspended for 10 days without pay after getting into a fight at a movie theater and failing to identify himself as a police officer, according to a suspension letter.
Efforts to reach Starks by phone Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Metro on 02/28/2019