Little Rock police officer Charles Starks resigned Friday, citing the "intolerable" work environment since he shot and killed a Black driver last year.
In a resignation letter provided by his attorney, Starks decried the way he has been treated by Police Chief Keith Humphrey and Mayor Frank Scott Jr.
Humphrey fired Starks for violating department policy when he shot and killed Bradley Blackshire in a car during a confrontation in February 2019, despite recommendations from Starks' supervisors that he remain on the force.
A judge ultimately overturned Humphrey's decision, ordering Starks' reinstatement.
However, Starks accused Humphrey in the resignation letter of creating an unhealthy work environment since his return to the department.
"You and Mayor Scott have never acknowledged that Mr. Blackshire put my life in danger," Starks' letter reads. "You have done everything possible to make my working conditions intolerable and, you have succeeded."
[DOCUMENT: Charles Starks’ letter of resignation] » arkansasonline.com/912letter/]
Starks was investigated for the Blackshire shooting, but prosecutors decided against pursuing criminal charges. Starks was injured during the incident and video of it was viewed widely on the internet.
Police supervisors found no fault with Starks' actions, recommending that he not be disciplined.
Humphrey still fired Starks for breaking police procedure over how suspects in moving cars should be approached.
Starks' last day on the job, according to his letter, will be Sept. 26.
"This resignation is because of the manner in which I have been treated by you or at your direction since having to use deadly force to protect myself," Starks wrote.
Scott, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment on Starks' resignation. Humphrey declined to comment.
After a Pulaski County judge ordered that Starks return to the department, the veteran police officer sued Scott and Humphrey over the way his reinstatement was handled. He was initially relegated to desk duty over his objections, his attorney said at the time.
"My fellow officers have been substantially supportive but that doesn't overturn the manner in which you have treated me or caused me to be treated," Starks wrote in his letter. "A large percentage of the public have been supportive. The City of Little Rock has not been supportive."
He referred to his decision to sue the city to pay into his retirement account the money it had withheld from the time he was fired to the time he was reinstated. Starks was fired in May 2019 and returned to work in January. He has been employed as a Little Rock officer for about seven years.
Starks also said he had been seeing a "counselor," who recommended he resign because of the "toxic environment" he was forced to endure while on duty.
"While I am physically capable of performing the job of a police officer, in the opinion of that counselor, the working conditions at [the department] have unnecessarily caused and are continuing to cause extreme stress, which is not conducive to the performance of law enforcement duties or good mental health," Starks wrote.
He ended the letter stating that it was "impossible" for him to work as a Little Rock officer while Humphrey remained chief.
The dashboard-camera video of the Feb. 22, 2019, shooting showed that Starks had fired his weapon at least 15 times, including 12 times after he stepped in front of the car that Blackshire was driving.
The incident began when a Little Rock Police Department automated license plate reader identified a stolen vehicle traveling along West 12th Street, according to the department's case file.
Starks performed a traffic stop on the Nissan Altima in a parking lot on Kanis Road near the Rodney Parham Road intersection. Starks parked his patrol vehicle in front of the Nissan, which blocked the driver's path. Blackshire had backed the Nissan into a parking space near a building.
After he got out of the vehicle, Starks aimed his gun at Blackshire, who was still behind the wheel of the Nissan, and ordered him to show his hands. Starks was standing near the driver's side window at the time.
Starks called for backup and ordered Blackshire to roll down his window. Blackshire refused all of Starks' commands, turned the steering wheel to the left and moved forward, at which time Starks opened fire and then stepped in front of the moving car, according to the video. Starks was struck in the leg by the car.
While the vehicle moved forward and while Starks was leaning forward on the hood, he continued to fire his weapon. Blackshire died at the scene from his bullet wounds, authorities said. A female passenger in Blackshire's car was not injured.
Moments later, the passenger told Starks that Blackshire had a gun. Investigators found a stolen .45-caliber handgun in the car Blackshire was driving, according to the case file.
Blackshire, according to court documents, was a four-time convicted felon and was out on bond for three other felonies.
His family filed a lawsuit last year, claiming that Starks used excessive force. Blackshire's family was encouraged on Friday that Starks had resigned, according to The Associated Press.
"Mr. Starks acted as judge, jury and executioner, and that behavior should not be tolerated by the force," Omavi Shukur, an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who is representing the family, told The Associated Press.
Starks' resignation comes after a series of legal battles with the city and Police Department.
In January, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox, the judge who reinstated Starks, ordered the department to return his badge and gun. Initially, Starks was reinstated, but was immediately relieved of duty with pay while the city withheld his badge and gun. The judge stepped in and threatened to fine the city $10,000 per day until those items were returned to Starks.
Fox accused the city of "additional punishment" and being in violation of his reinstatement order.
In April, Starks won another legal battle when Fox ordered Little Rock to pay Starks' attorneys $32,730 in legal fees. Including back pay, the city had to pay out nearly $61,000 to Starks and his attorneys.
In May, Starks filed a 20-page lawsuit accusing Scott and Humphrey of violating his civil rights by retaliating against him by subjecting him to a hostile work environment. Last month, the city filed a motion to dismiss the case.
No ruling has been made on the motion and the case remains open.
