On a Wednesday morning, September 10, 2014, in Saratoga Springs, Utah, 22-year-old Darrien Nathaniel Hunt, a Black male, was shot and killed by police. He had been walking near a strip mall carrying a 3-foot souvenir "katana" sword, which his family said was part of a Japanese anime costume he was wearing. The sword was described by his family as a decorative item purchased from a gift shop with a blunt edge.
The incident began after police received a 911 call about a "suspicious" man with a sword.
Two Saratoga Springs police officers, Corporal Matthew Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson, responded to the call. Accounts of the initial interaction vary. Police stated that when they confronted Hunt, he "brandished the sword and lunged toward the officers." However, an eyewitness reported seeing the officers speaking calmly with Hunt before shots were fired and he began to run away. His family's attorneys have contested the police narrative, arguing that it's difficult to reconcile a lunging motion with the fact that he was shot from behind.
An official autopsy confirmed that Darrien Hunt was shot six times, with at least four of the bullets entering his body from the rear. The fatal shot entered his back. A toxicology report found no illegal drugs or alcohol in his system. After the initial shots were fired, Hunt ran approximately 200 yards toward a Panda Express restaurant before collapsing. The officers pursued him and fired more shots during the chase.
The Utah County Attorney's Office investigated the shooting and ultimately ruled it as justified, stating that the officers feared for their lives. Consequently, no criminal charges were filed against Corporal Schauerhamer and Officer Judson, who are both white. The county attorney's report concluded that race did not play a factor in the shooting. Hunt's family, however, maintained that he was treated differently because he was Black and filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Saratoga Springs and the two officers, alleging the use of excessive and unlawful deadly force. The family eventually settled the lawsuit with the city for $900,000.
