A jury has found former Prescott police officer Brian Sutton guilty of manslaughter in the 2024 shooting death of an unarmed man.
Sutton and another officer were attempting to arrest 34-year-old Daniel Leslie at his home on June 8, 2024, in connection with an earlier alleged domestic violence incident.
Body camera footage showed Sutton fire three shots at Leslie as he attempted to return to the house. Leslie later died at a Phoenix-area hospital.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety investigated the shooting to avoid a conflict of interest. The agency determined Leslie was unarmed and recommended charges. Sutton was indicted on one count of manslaughter last year.
Sutton’s sentencing is scheduled for August 3. He faces seven to 21 years in prison.
Leslie’s mother filed a $20 million civil lawsuit against the city in October 2024.
Nationwide, it is relatively uncommon for officers to be charged in connection with on-duty shootings and even rarer for them to be convicted. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that officers may use deadly force when a “reasonable officer” would do the same in a similar situation.
Only one other officer has been convicted in connection with a police shooting in Arizona in the last two decades.
