LONOKE COUNTY, Ark. – The family of the 17-year-old who died after being shot by a Lonoke County deputy last week have hired lawyers who recently represented the family of George Floyd.

Family of Hunter Brittain said Wednesday that they had retained the services of Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump. The two have a long history of involvement in high-profile civil rights cases, representing the families of figures including Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

Attorney Ben Crump issued a statement regarding the Hunter Brittain case.

“The horrific killing of Noah “Hunter” Brittain, an innocent 17-year-old boy who had his whole life ahead of him, points to the urgent need for increased training and policy enforcement in every police department across the nation.

Vehicle trouble should never end with a teenager being shot dead by police. Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office did the right thing by terminating former Sergeant Mike Davis when they learned that he failed to activate his body camera during the traffic stop.

Body cameras are, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the only way to see the unbiased facts surrounding a police and civilian encounter resulting in injury and/or death. When officers turn their body cameras off, they turn off their intent to be transparent along with it.

While nothing can bring Hunter back, our team stands in solidarity with the Brittain family, and we plan to help them attain full justice for the heartbreaking and preventable loss they are experiencing.”

Attorney Ben Crump

The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office reports that deputy Sergeant Michael Davis instituted a traffic stop in the early morning hours of June 23 that ended with the Brittain’s shooting. The teen was taken to a hospital in North Little Rock where he later died from the gunshot injuries.

Brittan’s family and friends have been calling for the release of body-camera footage of the shooting. Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley has said he supports a release of whatever body-cam footage is available, in order to ensure “full transparency and accountability” in the case.

That footage is currently being reviewed by the Arkansas State Police as part of their investigation into the shooting. On Wednesday, ASP officials said they had not received any directives by the local prosecutor to release any evidence, including any body-cam footage, to the public for review.