PRESCOTT, Ariz. - A former Prescott police officer was sentenced in a fatal shooting of an armed man back in 2024.
What we know:
The former officer, 27-year-old Brian Sutton, will serve the next seven years in prison in the deadly shooting of 34-year-old Daniel Leslie, who was unarmed.
Daniel Leslie (File photo)
The backstory:
In June 2026, Sutton was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury and sent to a state prison.
Former Prescott cop convicted of manslaughter in 2024 fatal shooting
A jury found former Prescott police officer Brian Sutton guilty of manslaughter in the 2024 shooting of Daniel Leslie. An independent state probe found Leslie was completely unarmed.
The incident happened on June 7, 2024, when Prescott police responded to reports of a domestic dispute. Leslie was accused of trying to break down an RV door, threatening to kill his girlfriend who was locked inside. He allegedly fled before officers arrived, and was later seen in a car. When officers attempted to pull him over, he sped away, but due to the "dangerous driving behavior," police did not pursue the car.
That next morning on June 8, former officer Sutton, along with another officer, returned to the scene to apprehend Leslie. The man reportedly ignored the officers' commands and started running to a side door of the home. That's when Sutton fired his gun three times, which hit Leslie, who was not armed. Leslie later died at a Phoenix hospital.
In May 2025, a grand jury indicted Sutton on a manslaughter charge, and he was separated from the police department.
What's next:
The Leslie family continues to pursue a civil lawsuit against Sutton.
Map of the area of the shooting.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Marciopa County Attorney's Office, the Prescott Police Department and previous FOX 10 reports.