A special prosecutor will announce on Friday whether a former Lonoke County deputy will face criminal charges in the June fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, according to a Wednesday morning news release.
Fifth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Phillips, who was named special prosecutor for the case July 12, said he will be making the announcement at a 10 a.m. news conference in Russellville.
Former Sgt. Michael Davis shot and killed Brittain, 17, of McRae about 3 a.m. on June 23 on Arkansas 89, just south of Cabot. Phillips will decide whether Davis' use of deadly force was justified or if he should be criminally charged.
Authorities have released few details about the shooting, but Brittain's family members and their attorneys have maintained Brittain was working on his truck at the time, trying to fix it before work. After being pulled over during a test drive, he exited his truck to place a bottle of antifreeze behind a wheel because the vehicle wouldn't shift into park.
Meanwhile, Davis' attorney Robert Newcomb, has said that Brittain didn't respond to Davis' oral commands when he jumped out the backward-moving vehicle and reached into the back of the truck.
[DOCUMENT: Coroner’s report for Noah Hunter Brittain » arkansasonline.com/coronerbrittain]
The family retained civil-rights attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacobs. The two have been involved in many high-profile cases, including representing the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery.
When asked for comment Wednesday, Jacobs said,"We are trusting the system and reserving comment until an appropriate time after the prosecutor announces his decision."
Newcomb said he is hoping that for the sake of Davis and his family charges aren't filed.
"We have no information one way or another on what the prosecutor's going to do. I haven't even been told and sworn to secrecy on what they are going to do," he said.
Davis was fired the week after the shooting because he didn't activate his body camera in a timely manner, Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley said on July 1. Newcomb requested a grievance hearing for Davis, but the county had yet to decide whether to grant the hearing as of Wednesday.
Officials have repeatedly declined to release the footage that was captured in the aftermath of the shooting, citing the ongoing investigation.
A Pulaski County coroner's report released Aug. 31 states that the teen died of gunshot wounds in his neck and arm.
Brittain's family and supporters gathered daily for several weeks after the shooting at the Lonoke County sheriff's office to demand justice. The shooting has gained national media coverage and attention from civil-rights leaders like the Rev. Al Sharpton, who spoke at Brittain's funeral service July 6 at Beebe High School.
Information for this article was contributed by Teresa Moss of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.