The May 2020 death of George Floyd set off a summer of protests, arson, looting, and murder. Groups like Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa said it proved police had a widespread racism problem against black Americans.
This narrative was cheered on by the mainstream media. They excused violent riots and downplayed them as justified. Joe Biden did the same; his VP Kamala Harris even shared a link to a bail fund for BLM thugs arrested during violent actions.
However, what the media and leftist politicians never told you is two things; first, what’s actually remarkable is how often police manage to avoid fatal confrontations.
Secondly, our leftist friends never tell us how there are many fatal police confrontations across the country that involve white victims. The latest tragic example comes out of the small town of Cabot, Arkansas.
The Murder of Hunter Brittain
Cabot is a small town near Little Rock with a population of about 26,000. It’s a pretty quiet place with a mini-mall and not a heck of a lot going on.
However, last year, the town experienced an awful tragedy. Former Arkansas Deputy Michael Davis pulled over a young man during a traffic stop and shot him to death.
Davis, who was serving at the time as a sergeant with the local police force, was conducting a traffic stop on the outskirts of town.
One of those he pulled over was a 17-year-old teen called Hunter Brittain. At first, it was just a standard stop. Davis was asking him some questions, but the situation rapidly escalated. This led to Davis fatally shooting the teen.
BREAKING: The jury has found former Lonoke County Sergeant Michael Davis GUILTY of Negligent Homicide, a class A misdemeanor, for the death of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. #ARNews pic.twitter.com/qV3fOCzaON
— Shelby Rose (@KATVShelby) March 18, 2022
What Happened?
Former Sergeant Davis did not have his body cam on during the incident; this is part of why what happened has relied on his courtroom testimony.
His body cam was switched on, but not until after the shooting, which is suspicious in and of itself.
What we know is Davis stopped Brittain next to a mechanic and asked him to show his hands. Brittain allegedly did not do so. After exiting his truck, he walked around to the truckbed and reached in.
Davis said Brittain was holding an unknown container, which Brittain’s family says was simply a jug of antifreeze. Brittain was with a passenger, who also testified that they were trying to fix the truck at the time of the traffic stop.
Davis said he thought Brittain was reaching for a gun.
The passenger said they never even heard Davis demand Brittain to put his hands up. However, Davis became highly agitated and then shot Brittain in the neck, wounding him fatally.
"There's a phrase," Newcomb says to the jury. "If you can't see their hands, their hands can kill you." https://t.co/xTpZDxOzLh
— Jeannie Roberts (@ajeannieroberts) March 16, 2022
The Bottom Line
Davis has now been found guilty of negligent homicide, escaping the more heavily punishable conviction of manslaughter. He’s facing up to a year behind bars, but much less than Brittain’s family deserves him to get.
Brittain’s case has been picked up by black civil rights activists, as well as white civil rights activists. It shows how the problem of unjustified police killings crosses racial lines and is not just an issue for the black community.
