Family says police shot Utah man because he was black
Saratoga Springs » Police deny race played a role in shooting death.
By Lee Davidson | The Salt Lake Tribune First Published Sep 13 2014 02:47 pm • Updated 1 hour ago
Darrien Hunt’s family says it can figure only one reason that Saratoga Springs police would shoot to death a "timid" 22-year-old in the back, even if he had what they call a "toy" sword: He was black, and treated with extra suspicion because of it.
"It’s difficult to make any sense out of the situation any other way," said Cindy Moss, the aunt of Hunt and acting family spokeswoman, on Saturday.
Saratoga Springs police issued a written statement saying claims that its officers’ actions were a result of Hunt’s race "are completely unfounded and speculative. Our officers responded to a call for service and addressed the situation that was presented to them."
The Utah County Attorney’s Office, which is investigating the incident, also issued a statement saying, "There is currently no indication that race played any role in the confrontation."
The family’s assertion comes amid still-ongoing protests in Ferguson, Mo., over the police shooting of an unarmed young black man — and cries that blacks are still treated differently by law enforcement. But it also comes as former Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love is the favorite to become the first black Republican woman ever elected to Congress.
Hunt was the son of a white mother and a black father. Moss, a white aunt, said she has tended not to believe stories by her sister’s family of mistreatment of blacks in today’s world, "and I don’t like it when the race card is played. It’s easy for us as whites to dismiss it."
But Moss says her view changed in recent days as the family has tried to figure out what happened in the shooting, and she watched personally how some of her black nephews and nieces are treated.
For example, she said the family went to a dollar store to buy vases for a memorial. A black nephew was looking at items by himself "and people from the store started following him. So he did what he has done many times. He walked over to my [white] sister and said, ‘That’s my mom right there.’ Then they quit following him."
Hunt was shot and killed Wednesday. A statement from the Utah County attorney’s office on Saturday said, "Preliminary evidence suggests that Mr. Hunt brandished the sword and lunged toward the officers with the sword, at which time Mr. Hunt was shot." Police had described it as a samurai sword.
The Hunts’ attorney, Randall Edwards, said in a statement that an independent autopsy revealed that Hunt was shot numerous times, "all from the rear."
"This is consistent with statements made by witnesses on the scene, who report that Darrien was shot to death while running away from the police," Edwards said. "It would appear difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile these facts with a story that Darrien was lunging toward the officers when he was shot. We continue to hope that a full investigation will reveal the whole truth about this tragedy."
Moss said the 3-foot sword strapped to Hunt’s back was a decorator piece that is more of a toy, but it "does look like a sword from a distance." She said the blade is rounded and would not cut much.
She added: "The police make it sound like it was a big sword he was wielding. I’m offended that they even say he was armed with a weapon."
Moss said: "He was listening to his music, and maybe swinging his sword around to it at times. You don’t deserve to be killed for that. … A lot of people who went to Comic Con last week probably looked a little different, too, in their costumes. Do we want them gunned down when they are just trying to have a fun day?"
She said Hunt’s mother had been urging him to find a job, and they think he may have been headed to apply at a Panda Express restaurant near where he was shot.
"He may have worn it [the sword] thinking it was cool and would help. It’s just the sort of thing he would do," adding he acted young for his age. She also said he was "timid" after he suffered for years from an abusive father who no longer lives with the family.
Moss said the family has been shown a picture snapped by a witness shortly before the shooting. It shows police talking to Hunt. "He is relaxed and his hands are down to his side," she said.
Moss added, "We’d like to know how in a second or two, he went from that to being shot" and how he could have so quickly possibly presented a threat with a sword not then in his hands.
Utah County Jail records show that Hunt was booked on Jan. 5 on suspicion of numerous counts of assault, domestic violence and child abuse. Later he pleaded guilty in abeyance on one assault count, meaning it would not count as a conviction if he did not re-offend.
Moss said it resulted from "a brother-and-sister thing" of siblings teasing and fighting with him, and him fighting back when some of their friends punched him.
Moss said the family has received "nothing" in information from police and investigators.
Meanwhile, Moss said the family is mourning Hunt and trying to raise money for a funeral.
The family opened an account for a funeral fund at America First Credit Union.
Vigil for shooting victim
Darrien Hunt’s family is holding a candlelight vigil Sunday at 8 p.m. at the spot where he died, 1413 N. Redwood Road, in Saratoga Springs.
Was Saratoga Springs man killed while lunging at officers or while running away?
Susan Hunt holds a photo of her family, including her son, Darrien Hunt, who was killed by police Wednesday, at her home in Saratoga Springs, Friday, Sept. 12, 2014. Michelle Tessier, Deseret News
By Brian West, Deseret News Published: Saturday, Sept. 13 2014 6:10 p.m. MDT Updated: 2 hours ago
SARATOGA SPRINGS — After three days of silence about what prompted officers to shoot and kill a man outside a fast food restaurant Wednesday, investigators issued a brief statement Saturday saying he lunged at officers with a sword.
But an attorney for the man's family questioned that scenario, saying an autopsy shows Darrien Hunt was shot numerous times from behind as he ran away from police.
Saratoga Springs police were called about 9:40 a.m. Wednesday to investigate a "suspicious" man walking near businesses along Redwood Road while carrying a "Samurai-type sword."
"When the officers made contact with Mr. Hunt, he brandished the sword and lunged toward the officers with the sword, at which time Mr. Hunt was shot," a prepared statement from Utah County Chief Deputy Attorney Tim Taylor said.
"There is currently no indication that race played any role in the confrontation between Mr. Hunt and the police officers."
Randall Edwards, an attorney for the Hunt family, said Saturday that an independent autopsy was performed at the family's request. He says it shows that Darrien Hunt was shot "numerous times, all from the rear."
"This is consistent with statements made by witnesses on the scene, who report that Darrien was shot to death while running away from police," Edwards said in a statement. "It would appear difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile these facts with a story that Darrien was lunging toward the officers when he was shot."
Hunt, 22, had reportedly been walking in the area of Crossroads Boulevard and Redwood Road near a Panda Express restaurant, a gas station, an auto parts store and a credit union.
A witness later sent Hunt's mother, Susan Hunt, a photo of police confronting her son just before shots being fired. In the picture, two officers are standing on either side of Darrien. The sword is not visible in the picture. The family believes, based on the limited information they've been given, that at some point during that confrontation, a shot was fired by police. Susan Hunt doesn't know if that shot hit her son or not. But she suspects he then ran toward the Panda Express, where she believes multiple shots were fired and he was struck and killed while running away.
"I've been begging the police, why from the time I saw the pictures of you just standing by him with his hands to his side, does he end up seconds later with a bullet in him? And then if he's running (according to eyewitnesses), why you had to put in more bullets, and I don't even know how many. That's what I want to know," Susan Hunt said.
"No white boy with a little sword would they shoot while he's running away."
The Saratoga Springs woman said the sword was a souvenir sword bought at a gift shop and couldn't cut anything. She remembers seeing her son leave the house that morning wearing a nice shirt and believes he may have been planning to apply for jobs.
But why he took the 3-foot sword with him is unknown.
"I believe that maybe my son thought, 'Maybe I'll try to get a job at Panda, maybe this sword will impress them,'" she said. "(He probably) thought he was cool with the sword. He was more of a little kid trying to be a teenager."
The sword certainly caught people's attention. One woman told the Deseret News she noticed him walking with the sword strapped to his back and stopped to take a photo to send to her husband. Shortly afterward, she learned about the shooting.
She described his demeanor as "totally calm" but others said he appeared to be "distressed."
Two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. Taylor said the Utah County Officer Involved Shooting Protocol Team is leading that independent investigation.
"At the conclusion of the investigation, the Utah County attorney will review the findings and issue a statement," he said.
Edwards said the family, too, is anxious to know exactly what happened.
"We continue to hope that a full investigation will reveal the whole truth about this tragedy," he said.
Meanwhile the family plans to hold a candlelight vigil for Darrien Hunt Sunday evening near the restaurant in Saratoga Springs where he died.
Copyright 2014 Deseret News Publishing Corporation and Deseret Digital Media
Ferguson police chief issues apology to Brown family
VIDEO
Christina Coleman and Greg Toppo, USA TODAY 7:12 p.m. EDT September 25, 2014
(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS — As the parents of Michael Brown .. http://tinyurl.com/kkskx2x .. appeared Thursday in the nation's capital to call on the Justice Department to take over the case of their 18-year-old son whom police shot in August, the chief in the St. Louis suburb where he was killed apologized to the Brown family.
Police Chief Thomas Jackson in Ferguson, Mo., issued a video apology Thursday to Brown's parents and peaceful protesters, according to a St. Louis public-relations firm's video.
"I'm truly sorry for the loss of your son. I'm also sorry that it took so long to remove Michael from the street," said Jackson, dressed casually in a red polo shirt. "You have every right to be angry and upset. The time that it took involved the completion of the work of the investigators to preserve physical evidence and determine the facts, but 4½ hours was simply too long."
Ferguson was the site of sometimes violent protests and looting in the days after Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer, shot Brown, who was black and unarmed, on Aug. 9. Witnesses said that Brown had his hands raised above his head before he was shot dead.
Resentment lingers among those who question why Wilson hasn't been arrested and remains on paid administrative leave.
Brown's parents, Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr., went to Washington along with the Rev. Al Sharpton, President Cornell Brooks of the NAACP, President Marc Morial of the Urban League and Brown family lawyer Benjamin Crump asking for federal reviews of police misconduct and for a grand jury to indict Wilson immediately.
In this Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, file photo, Brown family lawyer Benjamin Crump speaks during a news conference in St. Louis County, Mo.(Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)
"Whether they wear blue jeans or blue uniforms, criminals must be held accountable," Sharpton said at a news conference.
Crump said African-American communities are "in the midst of a pandemic of police misconduct."
Michael Brown Sr. wore a tie memorializing his son, who was scheduled to start college two days after he was killed, and thanked his family's supporters. McSpadden was too upset to speak.
The family of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old father of six who died July 17 after a New York City police officer put him in a chokehold, also called for action in its case. In Garner's arrest and death that a friend captured on videotape, Garner can be heard saying repeatedly, "I can't breathe!"
The NAACP released a report Thursday, titled Born Suspect: Stop-and-Frisk Abuses & the Continued Fight to End Racial Profiling in America .. http://naacp.3cdn.net/9312d4a4f8ed7681ff_fnm6b22xw.pdf, that looks at the 20 states without laws explicitly prohibiting racial profiling and the 30 states with some form of racial profiling laws on the books.
"Not much has changed" in the past decade, said Niaz Kasravi, the report's lead author and the NAACP's director of criminal justice. "I can't tell you how many parents have sat with me in their living rooms and talked about their sons or daughters who are no longer with us and flipped through photo albums. It's heart wrenching."
The NAACP and Urban League are committed to seeking justice on behalf of those families, Morial said.
--- For any mistakes I have made in any of this, I take full responsibility.
Police Chief Thomas Jackson, Ferguson, Mo. ---
"A hundred years ago, this country had a pandemic of lynching," he said. The killings led civil-rights groups to push for anti-lynching legislation. "This pandemic, to this day, is what that pandemic was to that day — the use of official power and excessive force to take the lives of innocent people."
A Missouri grand jury, whose term recently was extended until Jan. 7, is weighing whether Wilson should face charges in the Michael Brown case.
"The volume of the witnesses, and the length of time for their testimony, their appearance before the grand jury is taking longer than anticipated," said Robert McCulloch, St. Louis County prosecutor. He expects to finish presenting his evidence to the grand jury by early to mid-November.
McCulloch's office determines the potential charges and presents those to the grand jury, but critics question whether he can impartially create a case for Wilson's prosecution because a black man killed McCulloch's policeman father when he was a child.
Meanwhile, though Jackson's apology to the Brown family was meant to be public, its dissemination and interviews with the police chief have been tightly controlled.
Michael Brown Sr., father of Michael Brown whom police killed in Ferguson, Mo., wears a tie with his son's image on it during a news conference Sept. 25, 2014, at the National Press Club in Washington.(Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)
The city of Ferguson has employed The Devin James Group with offices in California, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon and Washington state since at least mid-August when the furor from Michael Brown's death brought national attention on the majority-black suburb of about 20,000 residents. Though the firm so far has given the Jackson statement only to CNN and has not returned phone calls from other media, it posted the video it recorded of Jackson to video-sharing site Vimeo and transcribed the material on its blog.
In addition to apologizing to Brown's family, Jackson talks about the violence surrounding protests of Brown's death.
"I am sorry to any peaceful protester who believes that I didn't do my best job of protecting people and supporting the Constitution and everyone's First Amendment rights to peacefully protest and publicly grieve here in Ferguson," he said. "The right of the people to peaceably assemble is what the police are supposed to protect."
"As a community, a city and a nation, we have real problems to solve, not just in Ferguson, but in the entire region and beyond," Jackson said. "For any mistakes I have made in any of this, I take full responsibility."
Christina Coleman also reports for KSDK-TV, St. Louis. Toppo reported from Washington. Contributing: Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY, from New York.
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