The family of Hunter Brittain, a teen shot and killed by a Lonoke County deputy last week, has retained attorneys also representing the family of George Floyd, a family representative said Wednesday night.
“I had a phone call with them yesterday and I know they can handle the business that needs to be done,” Jesse Brittain, the teen’s uncle, said as a crowd of about 60 gathered in protest outside the Lonoke County sheriff’s office.
The 17-year-old was shot three times while he held a can of antifreeze in his hand, Jesse Brittain told reporters. Jesse Brittain previously said the McRae teen was working on the transmission on his truck at Mahoney’s Body Shop near Cabot. He was pulled over while test-driving his vehicle.
The Arkansas State Police is investigating the shooting. State police have released few details and haven’t confirmed statements released by the family. Police have said Brittain was driving a truck on Arkansas 89 just south of Cabot when stopped about 3 a.m. on June 23 by Sgt. Michael Davis.
Police said Brittain was transported to a North Little Rock hospital, where he later died. Davis has been placed on administrative leave, pending the investigation’s completion.
Jesse Brittain said Wednesday that he believes the attorneys will help the family bring change to the justice system. Devon M. Jacob and Benjamin Crump are nationally recognized civil-rights attorneys. They are representing the family of Floyd, a Black American who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison last week.
“It is justice for everybody,” Jesse Brittain said. “We are going to do our best to change the world.”