Darrien Hunt's mother says she turned down $900,000 settlement from Saratoga Springs
Anniversary • Friends, family gather in Saratoga Springs to honor the life cut short by police shooting.
1 of 15Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Darrien Hunt's aunt, Cindy Moss, makes a speech to supporters, during a rally in Saratoga Sp
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Darrien Hunt's aunt, Cindy Moss, makes a speech to supporters, during a rally in Saratoga Springs , for justice for Darrien Hunt, Friday, November 14, 2014
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Darrien Hunt's aunt, Cindy Moss, makes a speech to supporters, during a rally in Saratoga SpFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt, center, holds her son Kerahn, left, and her sister Cindy Moss, as they makeRick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Keven Irons chants behind a mask, during a rally in Saratoga Springs, for Darrien Hunt, who wRick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Supporters chant during a rally fin Saratoga Springs, for Darrien Hunt, who was fatally shot Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt, center, holds her son Kerahn, right, and her sister Cindy Moss, as they makLennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune
Robert Sykes, attorney for Susan Hunt, speaks during a press conference at his office in dFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Kerahn Hunt, brother of Darrien Hunt who was killed one-year ago at the hands of policeFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt is overcome with emotion as she remembers her son's final walk. On the one-yRick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Supporters chant during a rally fin Saratoga Springs, for Darrien Hunt, who was fatally shot Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune
Attorney Heather White, who is representing Saratoga Springs holds press conference regardinFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt, right, is joined by family, friends and supporters on the one-year anniversFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
On the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police, familyFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
On the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police, familyFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
On the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police, familyFrancisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The group known as Anonymous shows their support as they join those gathered nn the one
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Darrien Hunt's aunt, Cindy Moss, makes a speech to supporters, during a rally in Saratoga Springs , for justice for Darrien Hunt, Friday, November 14, 2014Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt, center, holds her son Kerahn, left, and her sister Cindy Moss, as they make the final run made by Susan's son Darrien Hunt before being shot and killed by police for carrying an ornamental sword in Saratoga Springs one year ago.Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Keven Irons chants behind a mask, during a rally in Saratoga Springs, for Darrien Hunt, who was fatally shot by two Saratoga Springs police officers on Sept. 10, 2014, after allegedly swinging a samurai-type sword at the officers.Friday, November 14, 2014Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Supporters chant during a rally fin Saratoga Springs, for Darrien Hunt, who was fatally shot by two Saratoga Springs police officers on Sept. 10, 2014, after allegedly swinging a samurai-type sword at the officers.Friday, November 14, 2014Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt, center, holds her son Kerahn, right, and her sister Cindy Moss, as they make the final run made by Susan's son Darrien Hunt before being shot and killed by police for carrying an ornamental sword in Saratoga Springs one year ago.Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune
Robert Sykes, attorney for Susan Hunt, speaks during a press conference at his office in downtown Salt Lake City, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, in response to the Utah County Attorney's announcement that Saratoga Springs Police officers were justified in the fatal shooting of Darrien Hunt on Sept. 10.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Kerahn Hunt, brother of Darrien Hunt who was killed one-year ago at the hands of police, is joined by his mother Susan, outside the Panda Express in Saratoga Springs where Darrien was gunned down on the sidewalk.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt is overcome with emotion as she remembers her son's final walk. On the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police, family, friends and supporters gathered to remember him in Saratoga Springs.Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Supporters chant during a rally fin Saratoga Springs, for Darrien Hunt, who was fatally shot by two Saratoga Springs police officers on Sept. 10, 2014, after allegedly swinging a samurai-type sword at the officers.Friday, November 14, 2014Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune
Attorney Heather White, who is representing Saratoga Springs holds press conference regarding their response to a civil rights lawsuit filed earlier this month by the family of Darrien Hunt, the 22-year-old sword-wielding man who was fatally shot on Sept. 10 2014 by two Saratoga Springs police officers. She describes officers reports how Hunt turned and sprinted away from them with his sword. To her left is a photo of the sword Hunt was carrying when shot.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Susan Hunt, right, is joined by family, friends and supporters on the one-year anniversary of the death of her son Darrien Hunt at the hands of police in Saratoga Springs.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
On the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police, family, friends and supporters gather to remember his final walk in Saratoga Springs as they release balloons with personal notes outside the Panda Express where he was gunned down.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
On the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police, family, friends and supporters gather to remember his final walk in Saratoga Springs.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
On the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police, family, friends and supporters gather to remember his final walk in Saratoga Springs, as people attach personal notes to black and red balloons to be released.Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The group known as Anonymous shows their support as they join those gathered nn the one-year anniversary of the death of Darrien Hunt at the hands of police in Saratoga Springs.
By Pamela Manson And Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune
· September 14, 2015 11:24 pm
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Saratoga Springs • As she marked the first anniversary of her son's fatal shooting by police, Darrien Hunt's mother said she has turned down a $900,000 offer to settle her lawsuit against the city and two officers.
The settlement would have barred her from commenting about the case, according to Susan Hunt, who said that provision was unacceptable.
"That's not going to clear his name," she said Thursday. "And I could not, in good conscience, agree to that."
Hunt said she has hired the law firm of the late Johnnie Cochran to represent her in the federal lawsuit. No court dates have been set.
About 35 people gathered Thursday afternoon to mourn 22-year-old Darrien Hunt and call for police accountability at the site where he was shot fatally at about 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 10, 2014.
Saratoga Springs Police Department Cpl. Matthew Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson confronted Hunt after a passerby called 911 to report a man with a "samurai" sword was walking at Redwood Road and State Road 73. His relatives say Hunt was cosplaying — or costumed role playing — as a cartoon character and carrying a sword that was not a weapon, but a costume accessory with a rounded blade.
The officers say they fired several shots after Hunt swung the sword at them, and they gave chase when he ran away from them. Schauerhamer fired several more rounds during the chase before Hunt — who was shot six times — collapsed near a restaurant at 1413 N. Redwood Road.
Prosecutors said police were justified in shooting Darrien Hunt because they believed he was a threat to shoppers at a nearby store. The lawsuit, though, contends that the shooting violated the civil rights of Hunt, who was black.
On Thursday, Hunt's younger brother, Kerahn Hunt, re-enacted Darrien Hunt's walk at about 9:30 a.m., wearing a similar costume and carrying a similar sword.
Susan Hunt said police received multiple calls Thursday about that walk and three officers surrounded her son to check on what he was doing.
At Thursday's event, some of the participants wrote notes on cards and tied them to balloons that they released to commemorate Darrien Hunt.
They then marched the route of his walk before he was shot, and Susan Hunt walked arm-in-arm with Kerahn Hunt and her sister Cindy Moss — ending at the spot where the bullets struck their son, brother and nephew.
"That was pretty hard," Susan Hunt said.
And to Kerahn Hunt, it's yet another reminder of how his brother is gone.
"It's painful every day," he said.
Still pending is a federal investigation of the shooting. Susan Hunt, who said Thursday that she spoke two weeks ago with Department of Justice and FBI officials, expressed concern that the federal investigators do not have all the available evidence, including surveillance video from two businesses in the vicinity of the shooting.
"My biggest concern," she said, "is for the truth to be told."
