DOJ: No civil rights charge in deadly Tulsa police shooting
Source: Associated Press
March 1, 2019
TULSA, Okla. (AP) There is insufficient evidence to pursue federal civil rights charges against a white former Tulsa police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man, the Department of Justice said Friday.
U.S. Attorney Trent Shores announced the closure of the investigation into whether Betty Shelby willfully used unreasonable force against Terence Crutcher when she shot and killed him in September 2016.
The Department of Justice devoted significant resources to this investigation to ensure that a thorough review was undertaken. Attorneys from both the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys Office worked closely with the FBI to examine the evidence and review applicable law, Shores said in a statement.
A Tulsa County jury acquitted Shelby in May 2017 in the shooting death of Crutcher, who was holding his hands above his head when he was shot. Shelby testified she fired her weapon out of fear because Crutcher didnt obey her commands and appeared to reach inside his SUV for what she thought was a gun. Crutcher was unarmed.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/e8b98d48130a4426b193a514280320d5
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)I am convinced from the video from the helicopter.
Instead of rendering aid they did a half assed impersonation of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion and walked backwards until they were out of the view of the dashcam.
sinkingfeeling
(51,457 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)federal crime itself was committed?
DirtEdonE
(1,220 posts)Disgusting.
"Betty Shelby, a white officer who worked for the Tulsa Police Department at the time, said she shot Terence Crutcher in September 2016 in self-defense because she thought he was reaching into his car for what might have been a weapon. Video of the episode showed Mr. Crutcher holding his hands above his head when he was shot."
...
"Ms. Shelby was found not guilty of manslaughter in connection with Mr. Crutchers death in Tulsa County District Court in May 2017. She was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting and left the Police Department after she was acquitted.
Soon after, she began working as a reserve deputy for the Rogers County Sheriffs Office, about 30 miles from Tulsa, the sheriff, Scott Walton, said in an interview.
Last week she became a full-time employee stationed at the courthouse, the sheriff said. He said he had no reservations whatsoever about hiring her."
Read more if you can stand it:
Tulsa Police Officer Who Killed Unarmed Black Man Wont Face Civil Rights Charges
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/us/betty-shelby-terence-crutcher-tulsa.html
barbtries
(28,795 posts)i think she murdered him.
as horrifying as it is sometimes i wish these rulings would just say, she's acquitted because she's a white police officer and her victim is just another black dude. or, this is not a civil rights violation because hey, black people don't have rights.
#RacismSucks
cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)often taught and told that the police can be trusted thus in cases like that it helps them walk on cases that you would think would lead to a guilty verdict.
OnlinePoker
(5,719 posts)Wuddles440
(1,123 posts)obvious execution. Note the number of police officers (4) on one side of the vehicle with guns drawn - none moving to secure the other side of the vehicle per normal protocols. Simply a firing squad.
dalton99a
(81,496 posts)She fatally shot an unarmed black man. Now shes teaching other police officers how to survive such incidents.
By Isaac Stanley-Becker
August 28, 2018
She calls it The Ferguson Effect.
Two years after she fatally shot an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Betty Jo Shelby, now a police officer in an adjacent county, is teaching a course on how to survive such events legally, emotionally and physically. The course, as she explained it to a local ABC affiliate, equips officers to withstand the effect named for the Missouri city convulsed by the 2014 shooting of a black teenager when a police officer is victimized by anti-police groups and tried in the court of public opinion.
LenaBaby61
(6,974 posts)I expected nothing LESS from the reddest of the red state of Oklahoma. One of the most backwards places in this country. You have many teachers there, who while striking for a pay increase, are STILL supportive of their Dear Leader, fatso J. tRump.
Cold War Spook
(1,279 posts)She was afraid he was going to rape her. (sarcasm) I don't know how to use those thingamajigs.