LITTLE ROCK, Ark — According to Pulaski County Circuit Court records, the assistant chief of the Little Rock Police Department, Hayward Finks, filed a lawsuit against LRPD Chief Keith Humphrey and the city on Wednesday, April 22.
Finks accuses Humphrey of "egregiously retaliating" against him, beginning the first day after his testimony regarding the shooting of Bradley Blackshire, when Finks stated the investigation was "rushed."
In February of 2019, LRPD Officer Charles Starks shot and killed Bradley Blackshire. The officer was cleared of wrongdoing, but fired from his job with LRPD after an internal investigation.
Starks was later reinstated as a police officer after a judge ruled the firing be overturned.
In the suit, Finks claims Humphrey started his own "campaign of retaliation" by communicating to human resources about Finks the day after his testimony in July of 2019. The suit also claims Humphrey slams doors, and rages against those that Humphrey perceives as enemies. It also alleges Humphrey left Finks in charge when he left town when he knew protests over Blackshire's death were going to happen.
Finks' brother, Sgt. Duane Finks, is also listed as a plaintiff in the suit, as well as Sgt. Reginald Parks. According to the complaint, Humphrey transferred Duane Finks and Reginald Parks without explanation; resulting in loss of income for both men.
Finks, his brother, and Parks are requesting compensatory and punitive damages and legal fees.
The City of Little Rock Attorney's Office released the following statement on Wednesday evening:
"The City of Little Rock has been made aware of a lawsuit against the City and Chief of Police Keith Humphrey. Neither the City nor Chief Humphrey have been served with the suit at this time. As such, the City and Chief Humphrey have no comment on the Complaint."
This article will be edited with updates regarding the lawsuit.