Roy Lee Richards

The Washington Post's Fatal Force database records Roy Lee Richards in a fatal on-duty police shooting on 2016-10-25 in Little Rock, AR. Individual circumstances and legal outcome require case-specific review.

What happened

Roy Lee Richards Jr., 46, was shot and killed by Little Rock officer Dennis Hutchins on October 25, 2016, outside the home of Richards's uncle, Derrell Underwood. Police had been called about a disturbance involving Richards and his uncle. Richards was carrying what witnesses initially thought was a rifle but was actually a BB or pellet gun. Hutchins approached with an AR-15-style patrol rifle and fired five shots without an audible warning. Richards's estate disputed that he ever aimed the BB gun at anyone or posed an immediate threat when he was shot. Prosecutors declined charges and the department cleared Hutchins, but Richards's sister Vanessa Cole sued for excessive force. In May 2020, the Eighth Circuit affirmed denial of qualified immunity at summary judgment, explaining that the competing accounts of the encounter presented material factual disputes. That ruling permitted the civil case to proceed; it was not a finding of liability. In August 2021, a federal civil jury returned a verdict in Hutchins's favor. Interviews with Underwood and Cole documented the family's objections to how officers handled the encounter.

Investigation & findings

Individual legal and investigative outcome not yet reviewed.

What happened

Investigation & findings

Sources & records