A Little Rock police officer who shot and killed a 46-year-old man last October will not face charges in the case, Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley said Tuesday.
Officer Dennis Hutchins shot and killed Roy Lee Richards of Little Rock in a residential neighborhood on East Eighth Street in downtown Little Rock early Oct. 25, police said.
Police were dispatched at 12:37 a.m. to 514 E. Eighth St. for a report of a disturbance, police said. Officers found two men fighting in the front yard, but the two stopped as officers approached, according to the department.
According to the department, Richards then walked to a dark-colored vehicle out of the officers' view. Richards then came back into view and began chasing the other man while "pointing a long gun at his back," according to a statement from the Police Department.
Hutchins said he then fired multiple rounds and hit Richards, the department said. Hutchins said he shot at Richards because he believed Richards would shoot the other man in the back, according to the department.
According to a police report, Richards' uncle told police his nephew drove to the residence and started an altercation that turned physical.
He said Richards went to his vehicle and returned carrying a long gun, the police report said.
The man told police that Richards began moving toward him while pointing the rifle "when police arrived and engaged" Richards, according to the report.
A day after the officer-involved shooting, Little Rock police released a photo of the gun that Richards wielded during the disturbance. Employees at two central Arkansas gun stores viewed the photo and said the weapon was likely an air pellet gun or a BB gun.
Jegley said he has sent a letter to the Little Rock Police Department clearing the officer of any wrongdoing. He said his office looked at the facts of the case and reviewed the applicable law in making the decision.
Information for this article was contributed by Emma Pettit of Arkansas Online.
Metro on 03/22/2017