Former Prescott cop convicted of manslaughter in 2024 fatal shooting

PRESCOTT, Ariz. - A jury on Friday morning found former Prescott police officer Brian Sutton guilty of manslaughter in the 2024 fatal shooting of an unarmed man.

The verdict followed a criminal trial that began on June 8 for the 27-year-old former officer. Sutton was immediately sent to a state prison after the decision was read, and his sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 3.

‘Two families have been devastated’

The conviction stems from the June 2024 killing of 34-year-old Daniel Leslie. Following the verdict, the Leslie family's attorney, Richard Lyons, told FOX 10 that while his clients feel vindicated, the outcome remains a tragedy for everyone involved.

"The Leslie family is happy that justice was done, but this is an awful situation all around," Lyons said. "My clients lost their son and their brother; the Sutton family has lost a husband, father and son for the next seven years, it seems; and so we're happy that justice was done, but it's just a very, very sad situation all around, and two families have been devastated by Officer Sutton's conduct."

As a first offense, manslaughter carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison.

Lyons also confirmed Friday that a $20 million civil lawsuit planned by the family against Sutton and the city of Prescott remains ongoing.

The backstory:

The deadly encounter had unfolded over two days. Prescott police initially responded to reports of a domestic dispute on June 7, when Leslie was accused of threatening to kill his girlfriend while trying to break down the door of an RV where she was locked inside. Leslie fled the scene before officers arrived and later eluded a traffic stop.

The following morning, Sutton and another officer returned to the property to apprehend Leslie. When confronted in the driveway, Leslie ignored verbal commands and began running toward the side door of the residence. Sutton fired his service weapon three times, striking Leslie.

Officers attempted life-saving measures at the scene, including the use of a tourniquet, but Leslie later died at a Phoenix hospital. An independent investigation conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety later concluded that Leslie was completely unarmed when Sutton opened fire.

Dig deeper:

Because the shooting involved a local officer, the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office handed the criminal review over to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to avoid a conflict of interest. A grand jury indicted Sutton in May 2025, at which point he surrendered to custody and was separated from the police department.

Lyons previously noted the political difficulty of a county attorney charging a police officer, making Friday's conviction a rare outcome in law enforcement shooting cases. Throughout the proceedings, the defense maintained that Leslie was exercising his right not to speak with law enforcement and posed no physical threat to the officers.

What they're saying:

While the verdict closes a painful criminal case, the Leslie family’s legal and emotional battles are far from over. Patrick Leslie, Daniel’s brother, previously expressed the heavy toll the shooting took on their family, which had already experienced immense personal loss.

"I lost two other brothers previously," Patrick Leslie said following the initial indictment last year. "I’m an only child now of four boys. You can only imagine the tragedy that my family has been through."

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