Several Arkansas lawmakers, led by Representative Matt Duffield of Russellville, plan to gather at the state capitol Thursday to demand answers in the shooting death of Bryan Malinowski. Malinowski was fatally shot when agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) attempted to perform a predawn raid on his Little Rock home last March. Malinowski was the executive director of the Clinton National airport at the time of the shooting. Thursday’s planned gathering comes after Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin called on the ATF to release the body camera video footage of the incident. “We want the truth,” Duffield said. “We want the body cam footage. His family deserves to see it. The people of Arkansas deserve to see it. We must learn what happened.”
In the press release announcing the lawmaker’s meeting, Duffield said, “ATF agents broke down Bryan Malinowski’s front door before sunrise on March 19th in a failed attempt to execute a search warrant as he and his wife slept. The noise awakened Mr. Malinowski, who grabbed a weapon and encountered federal agents in a dark hall. Agents shot him in the head, and he died two days later.” The ATF claims that Malinowski shot at the federal agents first, causing them to return fire eventually leading to the fatal gun shot that killed Malinowski. More than 20 members of the Arkansas legislature are expected to join Duffield, Senator Mark Johnson, and Rep. Marcus Richmond for a news conference on Thursday, April 18, 15 minutes after both chambers adjourn. According to court documents released two days after the raid, Malinowski was flagged by federal agents for selling guns without a Federal Firearm License (FFL). The affidavit alleges that Malinowski had purchased approximately 150 firearms in the span of over a couple years and was selling them at gun shows and by word of mouth. During an investigation, Malinowski sold three guns to undercover agents. A handful of guns that went through Malinowski’s hands were recovered at crime scenes from California to Canada, though at least three of those crimes were marijuana possessions, according to court documents.
Former US attorney representing Malinowski’s family, Bud Cummins, provided statements following the death. “At worst, Bryan Malinowski, a gun owner and gun enthusiast, stood accused of making private firearm sales to a person who may not have been legally entitled to purchase the guns,” Cummins said. Most recently, on April 7, Cummins released videos of the federal agents arriving in Malinowski’s cul-de-sac. Footage from a neighbor’s doorbell camera shows at least 10 cars on the street, and the doorbell camera by Malinowski’s front door shows armed agents approaching his house before covering the feed. The video and audio Cummins provided ends there, so it’s not known how or if the agents announced themselves. Aside from the two short clips Cummins released, no other footage has been provided.
Arkansas State Police is investigating the incident.
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