A state autopsy confirmed that police shot Darrien Hunt, a 22-year-old Black man who was carrying a replica samurai sword as part of an anime costume, six times. Four of those shots hit him from behind.
The fatal shooting occurred Sept. 10 outside a strip mall in Saratoga Springs, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The official story is that Hunt charged at two officers with the sword, and one of them fired three times. Police fired four more shots as Hunt ran away from them. Hunt's family disputes that he attacked the cops, and they say the 2 1/2-foot sword, which did not have a sharp edge, was bought at a gift shop and was purely decorative.
Hunt, who left behind notebooks full of manga-style drawings, was wearing a red top and blue pants at the time of his death. He was apparently dressed as Mugen from Samurai Champloo.
