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County Attorney: Fatal Shooting of Utah Man Was 'Reasonable'

Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said at a news conference on Monday that no criminal prosecution would be brought against the two police officers that shot and killed 22-year-old Darrien Hunt while he was carrying a sword in Saratoga Springs.

Cpl. Matt Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson were placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting was being investigated.

Buhman said that although the conversation Hunt had with police officers about getting a ride began as "nonthreatening," Hunt then "abruptly and without any apparent provocation withdrew the sword from its sheath and immediately swung or stabbed it toward least one of the officers,"

Buhman said the officers' "belief that deadly force was necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury was reasonable, given the fact that Mr. Hunt was swinging or stabbing at them with a three-foot sword and was in close enough proximity to them that one of the officers physically retreated -- and one jumped back -- to avoid being hit by that sword blade."

Schauerhamer, who shot at Hunt after he began to run toward a nearby Panda Express, said he was worried he would "hack the first person he saw," according to Buhman.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the attorneys for Hunt's parents and family said that their clients intend to file a civil lawsuit against Saratoga Springs.

"They killed my son because he's black," Hunt's mother Susan said in an interview with Deseret News. "No white boy with a little sword would they shoot while he's running away."

But Buhman said he found "no evidence whatsoever" that race was a factor.

Whether Hunt was cosplaying as Mugen from Samurai Champloo at the time remains unconfirmed. Salt Lake Comic Con took place on September 4-6, and Hunt was shot and killed on September 10. Hunt's mother said the sword he was carrying was a souvenir sword purchased from a local Asian gift shop, but Buhman said the sword was indeed dangerous.

"It's over three-feet long, it's metal, the tip is sharp, and the blade -- maybe it's not sharpened to Ginsu standards or chef standards -- but it's sharp enough to cut," Buhman said. "It is not dulled as you might expect a souvenir-type sword to be."

Source: CNN, Salt Lake Tribune via Anime Jam Session, Black Girl Nerds

Photos are from Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune articles.

Thanks to Dave for the news tips