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A former police officer who accidentally shot and killed a fellow cop in front of his home has been charged and arrested for felony manslaughter last week.
Calvin Salyers, a former cop in Arkansas, United States, previously told a colleague that he will “shoot through the door” if protesters came to his home following the Minneapolis riots in June, as per Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on July 10.
These said riots were sparked by protests that erupted across the United States due to the killing of Black man George Floyd in the hands of the police.
Salyer’s fellow Alexander City cop, Training Sgt. Matt Wharton, told investigators that he reprimanded Salyers when he first heard his statement and told Salyers that it would be “reckless and negligent.”
With this stance, Salyers’ shooting case was looked into by investigators with the statement in mind, internal investigation lead and Alexander police spokesperson Sgt. Jessica Burnett noted.
Salyers, on the night of June 3, was visited by 36-year-old Scott Hutton from the Alexander Police Department when Salyers accidentally killed the latter after he approached his home.
Gun in hand, Salyers looked through the peephole of his front door and saw a “dark figure” with a firearm, he told police, according to the court document narrative from state police Special Agent Ryan Jacks.
Salyers claimed that when he moved his gun to open the door, he accidentally fired a shot and hit Hutton in the chest. Salyers’ girlfriend then reported the incident to authorities.
In the document, state police investigators noted that the contact residue of the bullet hole on Salyers’ door suggested that the gun was being pressed against the door when it was fired.
The case’s prosecuting attorney found that evidence from the report ultimately points to manslaughter, which the Arkansas State Code says is committed by someone who “recklessly causes the death of another person.” Ian Biong/JB
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