The Arkansas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statements after an Arkansas sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Hunter Brittain, a 17-year-old, outside of Cabot.
“Hunter Brittain should still be alive today, and his family, friends and community deserve transparency and accountability,” said Amy Gillespie, a volunteer with the Arkansas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’ll stand with them and push for a thorough, independent investigation and sorely-needed reforms to our policing system.”
Research suggests that implementing specific use-of-force policies can save lives. One 2016 study of 91 large police departments found adoption of use-of-force reform policies—exhaustion of other means prior to shooting, bans on chokeholds and strangleholds, use-of-force continuum, de-escalation, duty to intervene, restrictions on shootings at moving vehicles, and warning before shooting—was associated with fewer people killed by police.
