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Newly released police report offers more details in fatal shooting of Darrien Hunt

Posted at 9:22 PM, Nov 13, 2014
and last updated 2014-11-14 09:14:31-05

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah -- The attorney for Darrien Hunt’s family has obtained and shared the police report from the officer-involved shooting that resulted in Hunt’s death, and the report indicates one of the officers was wearing a body camera during the encounter.

The camera in question was not recording during the shooting, officials said, and Attorney Robert Sykes said he is frustrated by that fact.

Another officer was wearing a microphone, but officials said that mic isn’t active until a button is pressed to transmit. Sykes said he finds it interesting that these specific pieces of equipment have not been mentioned until now.

He said he believes that if the body camera been turned on, then it would have confirmed the Hunt family’s assertion that Darrien Hunt wasn’t posing a threat when he was shot.

“The county attorney found that it was justified, but it didn't give us all the evidence that it gathered,” Sykes said. “That was a conclusion, but I think when the facts come out, the facts will speak volumes, and those volumes will be different.”

The report also included a witness statement indicating someone saw Hunt holding the sword horizontally in both hands as if he were presenting it to someone.

Investigators have stated multiple times that the officers fired on Hunt when the man lunged at officers with the sword, and they stated the officers feared for their safety and the safety of others.

FOX 13 News’ Annie Cutler has more details, see the video above for her report.

Click here for FOX 13 News' continuing coverage of the incident, which includes a recent announcement from the NAACP about their desire for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the shooting.