Attorney of Huffman High shooter calls case "tough"

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - There was chaos following the shooting of 17-year-old Huffman High School senior Courtlin Arrington on March 7.

At first, police called it an accidental shooting, but later 17-year old Michael Barber was charged with Arrington's death.

"It's a lot we have to see where we went from an accidental shooting to now trying to say he did something on the side of negligence or recklessness to lead to reckless manslaughter," says Emory Anthony, who was retained just this week as Barber's attorney.

He believes the timing of Arrington's death, just three weeks after the massive school shooting in Parkland, Fla., may have played a role in the reason his client being charged.

"You had, maybe not an outcry from the community, but you had concern from the community that a young lady was accidentally shot while at school. So you would have the police department and possibly the DA's office over reacting," Antony says.

Anthony says Barber is still grappling with issues of sympathy and forgiveness as a result of the shooting.

Barber had plans to attend college and Anthony says he hope those plans can stay on track.

"But we have to find a judge and 12 people in the community that are not emotional, not being driven by sympathy, but look at the standards of what transpired and how it transpired," Anthony says. "It comes down to the law and what facts they can make meet the law as he's charged. It's a tough case.  Anyone who thinks it's an open and shut case, it's not."

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