The family of Hunter Brittain, a teen shot and killed last week by a Lonoke County deputy, 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 Brittian, 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 anti-freeze in his hand, Jesse Brittian told reporters. He 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, the agency investigating the shooting, has released few details and haven't confirmed statements released by the family. Police have said Brittian was driving a truck on Arkansas 89 just south of Cabot when he was 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 Brittian said Wednesday that he believes the attorneys, Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump, will help the family bring change to the justice system. Jacob and Crump are nationally recognized civil-rights attorneys. They are representing the family of Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
"It is justice for everybody," Jesse Brittian said. "We are going to do our best to change the world."
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley met with the crowd Wednesday. He told family members and reporters that there was no new information as the office waits on the Arkansas State Police to finish the investigation.
Brittain's family and community members have continued to gather each evening around 6 p.m. outside the sheriff's office to demand justice.
A visitation and funeral for the teen will be open to the public, Jesse Brittain said.