LONOKE COUNTY, Ark. – Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday in the trial of a former Lonoke County deputy who was charged with manslaughter after shooting and killing a teen during a traffic stop.
According to an arrest affidavit, former deputy Michael Davis stopped 17-year-old Hunter Brittain in an auto body shop parking lot around 3 a.m. on June 23, 2021.
The affidavit stated that Davis told investigators that Brittain got out of his truck and “got something out of the back” before approaching him. That is when Davis shot Brittain, who later died that day from his injuries.
The arrest affidavit said Brittain was holding a container.
Davis was fired shortly after for not having his body camera on at the time of the shooting, only activating it after the shooting took place, which is a violation of the department’s policy, according to Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley.
Davis was charged with felony manslaughter on Sept. 17, 2021, and just hours after learning of his charges, Davis’ attorney said he turned himself into the Arkansas State Police.
Davis pleaded not guilty to his charges, but he will be facing between three and 10 years in prison if he is convicted.
The case gained national attention as the family of Brittain fought for justice. Brittain’s family hired attorney Ben Crump to represent them following the deadly shooting. Crump also represented the family of George Floyd.
Floyd died while a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin the handcuffed Black man to the ground.
Members of the Brittain and Floyd family, along with Crump, met with U.S. senators in hopes of passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, an act set to change the dynamic of policing in America.
Less than two weeks before the trial was set to begin a court clerk confirmed that Circuit Court Judge Barbara Elmore sealed the entire case, but the clerk said she did not know why the decision was made.
The trial is expected to begin after the jury is selected.
