Jul 14, 2017:
May 18, 2017:
In Oklahoma, a jury acquitted Officer Betty Shelby of manslaughter charges. The jury was comprised eight women and four men, three of whom are African-Americans.
Tulsa Police Officer Is Found Not Guilty In Death Of Terence Crutcher | NPR
Terence Crutcher case: Oklahoma officer Betty Shelby acquitted in deadly shooting | Fox News
Sep 22, 2016:
An article on the CNN website entitled "Tulsa police shooting: 5 discrepancies from Terence Crutcher's death" contrasts and compares five different facts/discrepancies as seen from the perspectives of Scott Wood, the attorney representing Officer Shelby, and attorneys Benjamin Crump and David Riggs representing the Crutcher family and Brady Henderson (ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director).
The five points of contention are:
- Crutcher having his hands up in the air vs. refusing officer commands
- Was Crutcher high on PCP when he was shot?
- Was Crutcher's driver-side window open or closed when he was shot?
- Was Crutcher armed or "threatening to become armed" when he was shot?
- Does the "bad dude" comment made by the officer in the helicopter have any importance or bearing on the shooting?
Sep 21, 2016:
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler announced that Officer Betty Shelby has been charged with felony manslaughter in the first degree in the shooting of Terence Crutcher.
Tulsa police officer charged with manslaughter | CNN
Sep 19, 2016:
Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old black man, was shot and killed by Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby.
The shooting occurred when Tulsa Police were responding to a report of an abandoned vehicle in the road.
Police video shows Crutcher with both hands up in the air, walking away from the officers and towards his car, and then seeming to stop on the driver's side of his car. Although you can't see it on the video, Crutcher was then tasered, and then shortly thereafter Officer Shelby fired shots which struck and killed Shelby.
A police helicopter was overhead during the shooting, and you can hear one officer in the helicopter saying "That looks like a bad dude, too." ("bad dude" referring to Crutcher).
At a news conference, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Crutcher was unarmed and did not have a weapon in his vehicle at the time of the shooting.
Officer Tuell, a spokesman for the Tulsa Police said the police video was released to the public for reasons of "full transparency and disclosure".
Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. said "This city will be transparent, this city will not cover up, this city will do exactly what is necessary to make sure that all rights are protected and to make sure that all rights shall be done".
Source:
Stack, Liam. (September 21, 2016). "Video Released in Terence Crutcher's Killing by Tulsa Police". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
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