The Darrien Hunt shooting happened on the morning of September 10, 2014, when two white Saratoga Springs, Utah, police officers shot and killed the 22-year-old Black man after he refused to put down a souvenir samurai sword he was carrying near a strip mall. An autopsy later found Hunt had been struck by all six bullets from behind. Prosecutors ruled the shooting legally justified, no officer was charged, and Hunt’s mother’s federal civil rights lawsuit ended in a disputed $900,000 settlement that a judge ordered her to accept.
What Happened That Morning
At about 9:40 a.m., a motorist called 911 to report a man in a red shirt walking near a Walmart on Redwood Road with what looked like a samurai sword. The caller did not say the man was threatening anyone. “He was carrying a samurai sword,” the caller said. The family later said the weapon was a replica katana with a roughly 28-inch blade and that Hunt had been cosplaying anime characters.1Deseret News. 911 Call Placed Just Prior to Darrien Hunt’s Shooting Death Released Carrying the sword openly was legal under Utah law at the time.2The Guardian. Darrien Hunt: Justice Department and FBI Investigate Utah Shooting
Cpl. Matt Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson responded. Schauerhamer, who had four and a half years with the department, asked Hunt to place the sword on the patrol car’s hood. Hunt refused. Judson had been on the force less than a year.3KSL. Police Release Names of Officers Involved in Saratoga Springs Shooting
The whole encounter lasted 37 seconds. The officers said Hunt unsheathed the sword and swung it at one or both of them. Schauerhamer fired twice, hitting Hunt in the shoulder and forearm; Judson fired once. Hunt ran north toward a Panda Express and a Top Stop convenience store. Schauerhamer chased him and fired four more shots, later saying he did not want an armed man reaching a populated area.4Deseret News. Prosecutors: 2 Officers Were Justified When They Killed Darrien Hunt Hunt collapsed outside the Panda Express and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Strip-mall security cameras caught parts of what happened but had gaps. Video from the Top Stop showed Hunt walking calmly on the sidewalk with the sword in his left hand. A Panda Express camera showed him sprinting across the parking lot as two officers chased him and one appeared to fire. No camera captured the moment the officers said Hunt swung the sword.5Salt Lake Tribune. Surveillance Videos From Darrien Hunt Shooting Released6Fox 13. New Footage From Fatal Shooting of Darrien Hunt Released
What the Autopsies Showed
The Utah State Medical Examiner’s report, released October 28, 2014, found Hunt had been shot six times, and every wound entered the backside of his body. The fatal shot went through his back and lodged in his chest. Toxicology found no alcohol or drugs in his system.7KUER. Utah State Medical Examiner Reveals Darrien Hunt Shot Six Times in the Back
A private autopsy the family commissioned from a former Utah state medical examiner reached a similar conclusion: at least three of the six shots, and possibly more, struck Hunt from behind. The family’s attorney, Robert Sykes, said the wounds proved Hunt was running away, not attacking. He called it “a fairly clear case of excessive force and the improper use of deadly force.”8The Guardian. Darrien Hunt Autopsy Report
Why No Officer Was Charged
On November 3, 2014, Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Buhman announced that both officers were “legally justified” in using deadly force. He said witnesses saw Hunt suddenly pull the sword from its sheath and swing or stab it at an officer without provocation, conduct Buhman characterized as attempted aggravated murder or aggravated assault under Utah law.9UPR. Attorney’s Office Finds Darrien Hunt’s Death Justified
On the four shots Schauerhamer fired at a fleeing Hunt, Buhman said: “I don’t find it reasonable to require Cpl. Schauerhamer to permit a person who was armed and who has most immediately attempted to wound or kill officers to escape into a populated commercial or retail area.”9UPR. Attorney’s Office Finds Darrien Hunt’s Death Justified Buhman acknowledged the autopsy but said the wound locations were consistent with Hunt fleeing after first attacking the officers. Neither Schauerhamer nor Judson was criminally charged, and both returned to active duty.4Deseret News. Prosecutors: 2 Officers Were Justified When They Killed Darrien Hunt
Following pressure from the Salt Lake NAACP, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and the FBI opened a federal review of the shooting in February 2015.10Salt Lake Tribune. Federal Authorities Reviewing Darrien Hunt Shooting The available record shows no charges or formal findings resulting from that federal review.
The Disputed $900,000 Settlement
In January 2015, Susan Hunt filed a federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, styled Hunt v. Schauerhamer et al., Case No. 2:15-CV-1-TC. It named Schauerhamer, Judson, and the City of Saratoga Springs, and alleged violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1983, wrongful death, failure to train officers in non-lethal force, and racial targeting.11GovInfo. Hunt et al. v. Schauerhamer et al. The suit sought damages, body cameras, and additional use-of-force training.12The Guardian. Darrien Hunt Police Shooting: Family Files Civil Rights Suit
In August 2015, the city and Sykes reached what the city called a binding $900,000 settlement, and the city cut a check on August 21. Susan Hunt then fired Sykes, saying she had never authorized the deal. She objected in particular to a nondisparagement clause she described as a gag order on her ability to speak about her son’s death. The city responded that recorded phone calls captured her verbally agreeing to both the amount and the nondisparagement term.13KSL. Hunt Family Claims Former Attorney Agreed to $900K Settlement Without Their Consent14Deseret News. Judge to Decide If Susan Hunt Accepted $900K Settlement Over Son’s Death
After a January 19, 2016 hearing, U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled the settlement enforceable, finding that a binding verbal agreement had been reached before Hunt tried to withdraw. Susan Hunt publicly called the payment “hush money.”15KUTV. Judge Orders Susan Hunt to Accept Settlement Over Son Killed by Police Her appeal was dismissed. In February 2017, the court granted a stipulated motion to disburse the funds, effectively closing the federal case.16PACER Monitor. Hunt et al. v. Schauerhamer et al.
Calls to Reopen the Case
In the summer of 2020, during the nationwide protests after the killing of George Floyd, a Change.org petition titled “Justice for Darrien Hunt — Reopen his case” gathered more than 355,000 signatures.17KUTV. Petition Calls for Reopening of Case Where Man Was Killed by Utah Police Former U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman said the sitting Utah County Attorney had authority to reopen the case, but then-county attorney David Leavitt could not be reached for comment, and no reopening was announced.18KSL TV. Petition Calls for Prosecutors to Reopen Fatal Darrien Hunt Case
Saratoga Springs public relations director David Johnson said the city would make no further public statements about the case because of the 2017 settlement. He said the department had since adopted body cameras, implicit bias training, crisis intervention techniques, de-escalation protocols, and mental health awareness training.18KSL TV. Petition Calls for Prosecutors to Reopen Fatal Darrien Hunt Case The $900,000 civil settlement is the only legal resolution the Hunt family received.