A former Prescott police officer will serve seven years in prison for the fatal 2024 shooting of an unarmed man.
A Yavapai County judge sentenced Brian Sutton to the shortest possible prison term for the killing of 34-year-old Daniel Leslie. A jury convicted Sutton of one count of manslaughter in June.
Prosecutors said Sutton and another officer responded to Leslie’s home on June 8, 2024, to question him over allegations that he threatened a former girlfriend earlier in the day.
Body camera footage shows Leslie decline to speak to the officers before walking walk toward his home and away from Sutton. Sutton can be heard threatening to shoot Leslie if he tries to go inside.
The footage then shows Sutton confront him in the carport before firing three shots as Leslie moves to go inside.
Leslie was pronounced dead at a Phoenix-area hospital soon after.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety determined Leslie was unarmed and recommended criminal charges. Sutton was indicted on a single count of manslaughter and convicted by a jury in June.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case to avoid a conflict of interest.
During Monday’s sentencing, the judge said the minimum sentence did not reflect the value of Leslie's life.
Nationwide, law enforcement is rarely charged in connection with on-duty shootings, and convictions are even less common. Sutton is only the second Arizona officer convicted in connection with a police shooting in the past two decades.
