The trial of the former Lonoke County deputy who shot and killed 17-year-old Hunter Brittain is underway. Here’s what you need to know.
What happened to Hunter Brittain?
Brittain, of McRae, was test-driving his truck around 3 a.m. June 23 just south of Cabot when he was pulled over by then-Lonoke County sheriff's deputy Michael Davis. A friend of Brittain's said the teen had spent the previous hours working on the truck's transmission.
During the stop, Brittain's car rolled backward toward Davis' vehicle, according to an affidavit. Davis told investigators that Brittain jumped out of the truck, slipping on gravel as he made his way to the rear of his truck.
Davis told investigators he shot Brittain when the teen put his hands into the back of the truck. As the bullet struck Brittain, Davis saw a container fly from the teen's hands and land on the ground, the affidavit states.
National civil-rights attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob have said the teen was grabbing a blue plastic bottle of antifreeze to place behind the wheel because the vehicle wouldn't shift into park.
Davis said he gave Brittain multiple verbal commands before shooting -- a statement that conflicts with two witnesses who say they didn't hear any commands.
A coroner determined Brittain’s cause of death was gunshot wounds to the neck and arm.
What is Davis charged with?
Davis, who was fired from the sheriff’s office in July for failing to turn on his body camera in a “timely way” during the incident, is charged with felony manslaughter.
The decision to charge Davis was made by Fifth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Phillips after an investigation of the shooting by Arkansas State Police.
Davis faces up to ten years in prison if found guilty. He is one of only five Arkansas law enforcement officers charged in on-duty shootings since 2005, according to data compiled by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Public Database. Davis is the third to go to trial, and if convicted he would be the first found guilty of a felony in the state in recent history.
What is going on with the trial?
The trial, which began Tuesday, has an unnamed jury, and records in the case have been sealed, including the body camera footage Davis recorded following the shooting. It was shown publicly for the first time Tuesday during the trial.
The prosecution rested Wednesday after showing additional evidence and bringing witnesses, and the defense is set to begin calling its witnesses Thursday.
Read more about what happened during the trial on Tuesday and what happened Wednesday from reporter Teresa Moss. To stay up-to-date with what happens during the rest of the trial, sign up for our morning newsletter and our breaking news emails.