City to appeal judge's decision to reinstate Little Rock officer fired after fatal shooting
by Nyssa Kruse, Clara Turnage | Today at 4:42 p.m.
Little Rock attorneys will appeal a Pulaski County Circuit judge’s decision to reinstate a fired police officer, an attorney said in a statement Thursday.
The city of Little Rock will appeal the reinstatement of Officer Charles Starks, whose May firing was reversed Thursday morning, according to a statement from Khayyam M. Eddings, an attorney with Friday Eldredge & Clark, LLP.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox ordered Thursday morning that Starks be reinstated with a reduced salary and 30 days suspension instead of termination.
On Feb. 22, Bradley Blackshire, 30, drove a black Nissan Altima into a parking lot at 7305 Kanis Road near South Rodney Parham Road. A license plate reader had flagged the car as stolen, and Starks was the first officer to respond to the report. After a few seconds of heated conversation, Blackshire rolled the vehicle forward, striking Starks' leg.
[DOCUMENT: Read judge's complete order » arkansasonline.com/12starks]
Starks fired his weapon several times and walked in front of the vehicle in what he later said was an attempt to get to his patrol car. The car Blackshire was driving rolled forward and struck Starks, who fired several more times. Eight of the 15 bullets Starks fired struck Blackshire, and he died.
Fox wrote that Starks’ actions from the time he exited his cruiser to the end of the incident were “those of a reasonable certified law enforcement officer" with his experience, but he said "illogical decisions" before that did violate policy.
The judge wrote that Starks “intentionally and voluntarily” parked his vehicle in a way that only partially blocked the stolen vehicle and necessitated he walk in front of the stolen vehicle to talk to its driver.
more:
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/jan/02/judge-rules-starks-should-retain-job-after-februar/
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