Manslaughter Charges For Officer Who Shot Terence Crutcher

Manslaughter Charges For Officer Who Shot Terence Crutcher

Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby, who fatally shot Terence Crutcher, will face charges of first-degree manslaughter, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler announced on September 22.

Graphic video footage captured the controversial shooting of Crutcher, an unarmed black man, on September 16, sparking nationwide debates and protests.

Shelby is expected to turn herself in, Kunzweiler said, in a live video posted to KJRH’s Facebook page.

“The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Crutcher are on the hearts and minds of many people in this community,” said Kunsweiler. “It’s important to note that despite the heightened tensions felt by all, which seemingly beg for an emotional response and reaction, our community has consistently demonstrated the willingness to respect the judicial process.”

Shelby’s lawyer, Scott Wood, said that she shot Crutcher, who was standing with his hands up next to his vehicle, because she thought he was reaching for a weapon in his car, notes the Tulsa World. According to Wood, Crutcher was not responding to Shelby’s orders, kept putting his hands out of sight and may have been high on PCP at the time. Though no autopsy findings have been released yet, PCP was found in Crutcher’s car.

Crutcher’s attorneys say that, regardless of his mental state, Shelby had no cause to kill him.

“You have to ask yourself what is the proper way to handle a situation where someone is acting in a strange way and perhaps not entirely in control of his emotions, mentality, mental state at that time,” Attorney David Riggs said on behalf of Crutcher’s family. “We can’t begin treating everyone in our society, whichever level they might be from, as someone who is a threat to the rest of us because they have a serious condition known as drug addiction.”

The Department of Justice has also opened a separate investigation into whether or not the shooting violated Crutcher’s civil rights.

“I want to assure our community, and I want to assure all of you and people across the nation who are going to be looking at this, we will achieve justice, period,” said Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan.

Sources: KJRH/Facebook, NPR, Tulsa World (2) / Photo Credit: KJRH/Facebook