Prescott: Former Officer Brian Sutton Convicted of Manslaughter in Shooting of Unarmed Daniel Leslie

A rare conviction closes a two-year tragedy

A jury in Prescott found former police officer Brian Sutton guilty of manslaughter Friday for the fatal shooting of Daniel Leslie, an unarmed 34-year-old man, on June 8, 2024. Sutton was immediately taken into state custody after the verdict. His sentencing is scheduled for August 3. He faces between seven and 21 years in prison.

The conviction is one of only two police-shooting convictions in Arizona in the last two decades, according to KNAU.

What the body camera showed

Prescott police first responded to a domestic-disturbance call on Sycamore Drive on June 7, 2024. Reports said Leslie had threatened his girlfriend and tried to break down the door of an RV where she was locked inside, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Leslie fled before officers arrived.

The next morning, Sutton and another officer returned to the property to apprehend him. Body camera footage played in court showed Sutton confronting Leslie in the carport. Leslie told Sutton to leave his property and refused verbal commands to step toward the officer. As Leslie began running toward a side door, Sutton fired his service weapon three times, according to FOX 10 Phoenix and Arizona's Family.

Officers attempted life-saving measures at the scene, including applying a tourniquet. Leslie was found lying on the kitchen floor. He was transported to a local hospital and then flown to a Phoenix-area hospital, where he later died, according to KNAU.

An independent probe found Leslie unarmed

The Arizona Department of Public Safety conducted an independent investigation to avoid a conflict of interest. The agency determined that Leslie was completely unarmed when Sutton opened fire and recommended criminal charges, according to KNAU.

Because the shooting involved a Yavapai County officer, the case was handed to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for prosecution. A grand jury indicted Sutton on one count of manslaughter in May 2025. Sutton surrendered to custody at that time and was separated from the Prescott Police Department, according to Arizona's Family.

"Two families have been devastated"

The trial began on June 8, 2026, and lasted five days. Jurors deliberated for about six hours before returning a unanimous guilty verdict, according to Richard Lyons, the attorney for the Leslie family.

"The Leslie family is happy that justice was done, but this is an awful situation all around. 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."

Daniel Leslie's brother, Patrick Leslie, spoke publicly after the indictment last year.

"I lost two other brothers previously. I'm an only child now of four boys. You can only imagine the tragedy that my family has been through."

Lyons told Arizona's Family that he believes Prescott Police leadership shares responsibility.

"I think Prescott PD, and the sergeants, and decision makers who left him alone there should be ashamed of themselves because I think what they did had a significant part in the conviction."

Sutton had been on the job for only six months at the time of the shooting, according to Arizona's Family.

The civil fight continues

Leslie's mother filed a $20 million wrongful-death civil lawsuit against Sutton and the City of Prescott in October 2024, according to KNAU. Lyons confirmed to FOX 10 Phoenix that the civil case remains ongoing.

The criminal verdict does not resolve the civil claim. The Leslie family's attorneys say the broader fight over accountability and damages is likely to continue in civil court.

What happens next

Sutton's sentencing hearing is set for August 3, 2026. Under Arizona law, first-offense manslaughter is a Class 2 felony with a minimum sentence of seven years, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The judge will determine the final sentence based on statutory guidelines and any aggravating or mitigating factors.

"In this case, the body cam was so visibly a wrongful shot, an unconstitutional, unlawful killing."

— Richard Lyons, attorney for the Leslie family, told Arizona's Family