Arkansas sheriff's deputy Michael Davis shot dead 17-year-old Hunter Brittain during a traffic stop two weeks ago. Davis was fired Thursday, with Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley saying that he "didn't follow the agency's body camera policy". Which is to say, the camera was turned off during the killing.
Davis is white, as was Brittain. Brittain's family members and friends have protested nightly outside the sheriff's office since the shooting and have complained about lack of details released. Family members have said Brittain was unarmed at the time of shooting and was holding a jug of antifreeze.
"We're not getting anything,'" Jesse Brittain, Hunter's uncle, said earlier Thursday. "We've got Hunter's body, and that's it."
It was earlier reported that bodycam footage was turned over to state police, a statement now in need of clarification.
A friend of Brittain's said he witnessed the shooting. According to his account, Davis pulled them over and Brittain's truck wouldn't shift into park. So Brittain got out with a blue oil jug to put behind his truck's tires and keep it from hitting the deputy's vehicle. That's when Davis fired.
One of the interesting features of bodycams is that they can be activated by holsters. It's a feature U.S. police departments don't seem to appreciate.
Enjoy your new job in the next county over, Sgt. Davis!
