About Daniel Shaver

Daniel Leetin Shaver was a 26-year-old husband, father, and pest control specialist from Granbury, Texas, originally raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He was married to Laney Sweet and was the loving father of two young daughters. Daniel was known for his playful spirit, loyalty to family, and dedication to providing for his loved ones. He frequently traveled for work, including to Arizona, where he serviced commercial buildings for pest control. On the evening of January 18, 2016, while staying at a La Quinta Inn & Suites in Mesa, Arizona, Daniel invited two acquaintances to his hotel room. During their time together, he was asked to show the man a pellet rifle used for work — in an open carry state. At the same time, a hotel guest in the hottub reported seeing two men, primarily describing a Hispanic man, holding a rifle near the window of Daniel’s room on the 5th floor . The guest notified hotel staff, who called 911, prompting a tactical police response. By the time officers arrived, the Hispanic man had already exited the room to take a phone call in his room down the hallway. Daniel and the remaining guest were ordered out of the room and forced to lie face-down in the hotel hallway at gunpoint. Bodycam footage would later show Daniel tearfully trying to comply with the officers’ demands — which were loud, rapid-fire, and often contradictory. He was clearly disoriented and terrified, repeatedly begging officers not to shoot him. As he crawled toward them on his knees, Daniel briefly reached toward his waistband, while navigating over a purse that was left in the hallway, appearing to try to pull up his loose-fitting basketball shorts, which had begun to fall down. In that moment, Officer Philip Brailsford fired five rounds from his AR-15, striking Daniel and killing him instantly. Brailsford was later charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, but was acquitted by a jury in 2017. Following his acquittal, he was briefly rehired by the Mesa Police Department, allowing him to apply for a medical retirement, citing post-traumatic stress disorder. He was approved to receive a lifetime pension of $2,500 per month. In the eight years that followed, Daniel’s family fought for justice and accountability. In 2021, Daniel’s parents reached a $1.5 million settlement with the City of Mesa. In November 2022, Laney Sweet, on behalf of herself and their two daughters, reached an $8 million settlement with the city — the largest police-related settlement in Arizona’s history. Laney has since committed her life to honoring Daniel’s memory through advocacy, grief work, and birth work — including founding The Birthing Tree and Luna Beam Creations, platforms that hold space for life’s most sacred and vulnerable moments. Daniel’s death remains one of the most documented and widely shared examples of excessive force in the age of body-worn cameras. His story continues to serve as a somber call for police reform, accountability, and human dignity in America.