New footage has surfaced of Utah native Darrien Hunt’s final moments before he was shot and killed by police officers in September for carrying a toy sword.
Hunt was an avid anime cosplayer, whose shooting was deemed justified by the Utah County Attorney’s Office earlier this month. The young man was shot six times in the back after he allegedly pointed his sword towards the cops.
The video above was taken from the local Saratoga Springs Panda Express Top Stop gas station and Wal-Mart cameras. Hunt is seen with the toy in his left hand as he walks down the sidewalk.
The police officers, Cpl. Matthew Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson, are seen walking behind Hunt. Shortly after, Hunt can be seen fleeing across the parking lot as one of the officers draws his gun. Hunt’s family has viewed the video, but they are still left with unanswered questions.
After watching the video, Hunt’s Aunt, Cindy Moss, told FOX 13 News: “He’s doing nothing wrong.”
In another clip from cameras at the Panda Express, Hunt is sprinting across the parking lot while being chased by two officers.
Hunt Family Attorney Robert Sykes said, “You can tell that this young man is running for his life, and he’s being fired at by a cop, and there’s no apparent reason for it.”
Police reportedly talked to Hunt for 37 seconds before he was killed. Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman told reporters Hunt refused to give his sword to the officers and didn’t follow their orders:
“He did not stop after being given a verbal command to stop,” Buhman said. “The time it would have taken for Mr. Hunt with the sword still in his hand after having stabbed or sliced at officers, it would have been a matter of seconds before he reached someone else.”
Since the shooting, Schauerhamer and Judson have been retrained and reinstated.
SOURCE: Fox 13 | VIDEO CREDIT: YouTube
