Arkansas Police Officer Who Threatened To Kill Protesters Accidentally Shoots Colleague To Death, Charged

An Arkansas police officer is charged with manslaughter after he shot and killed his colleague.

Police said 33-year-old Calvin Nicholas “Nick” Salyers fatally shot his 36-year-old fellow officer, Scott Hutton. Deputies from the Saline County went to Salyers’ home on June 3 evening and found Hutton lying unresponsive outside the residence. He was rushed to a hospital in Little Rock where doctors pronounced him dead.

The arrest affidavit said Salyers had previously made statements threatening to shoot any protester who would show up at his door. Salyers said this to Alexander police training officer Sgt. Matt Wharton in late May or early June, when the furor over George Floyd's death began to get violent.

According to Special Agent Ryan Jacks, with the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, it is unclear why Salyers thought protesters might show up at his home.

“Sgt. Wharton told me that he instructed Officer Salyers that he could not do that because it was reckless and negligent,” Jacks wrote in the arrest affidavit. “Wharton stated that they could not shoot anyone without identifying them first and identify(ing) that there was a threat.”

Hutton arrived at Salyers’ house to pick up a police cruiser on the day of the incident. He reportedly texted him, "are you awake." When Hutton did not receive a response, he walked to the front door and knocked.

Salyers, who was off duty at the time, was inside watching TV with his girlfriend. He grabbed his Glock .40-caliber handgun, looked through the peephole and saw a "figure standing on his porch with a dark shirt and a gun on his hip."

Salyers claimed that the gun accidentally fired when he attempted to transfer it to his left hand to open the door, the affidavit said. It was only then he realized that it was Hutton at the door. Salyers immediately called 911 and reported the incident.

According to the affidavit, Hutton was wearing a black polo shirt, khakis, a "typical" police officer belt, and a badge when he was shot.

State Police investigated the scene and found that the gun was pressed against the door when it was fired and that Hutton was "standing at an angle and not squarely facing the door." The bullet traveled through both the wooden front door and a glass storm door before hitting Hutton.

Salyers, who was serving the force since 2017, turned himself in to the authorities Wednesday. He was facing charges of manslaughter, a class C felony. His bond was set at $15,000.