Arkansas Cop Said He'd Shoot Protesters Through Front Door, Killed Colleague Who Knocked

An Arkansas police officer charged with killing a fellow officer at his home previously said he would "shoot through the door" if any Black Lives Matter protesters came to his house.

Calvin Nicholas Salyers, 33, has been charged with the manslaughter of fellow Alexander police officer Scott Hutton after allegedly shooting him through his front door when Hutton visited him at his home on June 3.

Arkansas State Police said they were called to Salyer's home in Alexander about 7:12 p.m. and found the 36-year-old Hutton suffering from a gunshot wound outside.

Hutton was taken to a Little Rock hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

More than a month later, Salyers surrendered to police and was charged with manslaughter on July 8.

He was booked into the Saline County Jail with bail set at $15,000.

According to an arrest affidavit, obtained by KIRO, Salyers had previously described how he would shoot any person protesting the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd through his front door if they approached his property.

According to Special Agent Ryan Jacks, Salyers made the comment while speaking to Alexander police training officer Sgt. Matt Wharton.

"Salyers had made a statement to [Wharton] when the riots started in Minneapolis that if any protesters came to his residence he would 'shoot through the door,'" Jacks wrote in the affidavit. "Sgt. Wharton told me that he instructed Officer Salyers that he could not do that because it was reckless and negligent.

"Wharton stated that they could not shoot anyone without identifying them first and identify that there was a threat."

The affidavit also describes the moments which led up to the shooting.

A few minutes before knocking at Salyers' door, Hutton had texted the officer's cell phone to ask "are you awake?" Hutton then drove into Salyers' driveway, walked onto his porch and knocked on the door.

Salyers was inside watching a movie with his girlfriend at the time. When they heard the knock, Salyers grabbed his .40 caliber handgun and went to go see who it was.

Salyers said he looked through the peephole and spotted a figure standing on his front porch "with a dark short and a gun on his hip."

Salyers then transferred his gun from his right hand to his left in order to open the door.

While doing so, the gun went off and fired a round through the door, hitting Hutton in the chest.

Salyers said he only realized it was Hutton at his door when he fell from the porch. He then called for an ambulance, identifying to the dispatcher that he was an Alexander police officer and an officer was down.

"The dispatcher asked Salyers who had been shot, and he advised her it was Officer Scott Hutton," Jacks wrote in the affidavit. "On the 911 call, Salyers is heard to say, 'All I seen was a gun. It was an accidental discharge.'"

Salyers has been with the force since 2017. The Alexander Police Department has been contacted for comment.

According to an obituary, Hutton served two tours in the United States Army National Guard and "achieved his dream of becoming a police officer" after being medically retired from the military.

Elsewhere, a GoFundMepage for Hutton's family has raised nearly $15,000 in donations.