White female cop who shot dead unarmed black man in Tulsa will be allowed to return to duty after being acquitted of manslaughter in his death
May 19, 2017 7:30 PM
A white Oklahoma police officer acquitted in the killing of an unarmed black man will be allowed to return to work, Tulsa police Chief Chuck Jordan said Friday.
Jordan announced his decision in an emailed statement that said officer Betty Shelby will return to active duty, but she won't be patrolling Tulsa streets. Shelby was put on unpaid leave September 22 when she was charged with manslaughter in the shooting of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher.
A jury found Shelby not guilty Wednesday.
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Shelby, who had never fired her weapon on duty before shooting Crutcher dead, said she does not regret what she did
Terence Crutcher was unarmed when he was shot dead by Shelby last year
Shelby's attorney said she isn't sure if she even wants to return to duty. Above, a still showing a moment from the shooting
Shelby's attorney, Shannon McMurray, told The Associated Press on Thursday that her client is unsure she would even want to go back to the Tulsa Police Department. McMurray said it would be dangerous for Shelby to patrol the streets again.
'She's going to self-guess herself and get herself killed or somebody else,' McMurray said.
Crutcher's family has called for city leadership to block Shelby from returning to her job.
Jurors also said in a post-trial court filing on Friday that Shelby could have used a less-lethal method to subdue Crutcher and could have saved his life. The foreman of the jury also says in a three-page memo that jurors weren't comfortable with the idea that Shelby was 'blameless' in Crutcher's death.
Shelby was found not guilty in Crutcher's killing in court on Wednesday (pictured leaving court that day above)
Shelby said she shot Crutcher because he was reaching into his car and she feared he was trying to get a weapon. Pictured above leaving court on Wednesday
The foreman and others don't identify themselves in the memo. The jury comprised eight women and four men and included three African-Americans.
Shelby's attorney acknowledged the officer could have fired a stun gun instead of a firearm but said the officer had to make a 'split-second' decision because Shelby thought Crutcher was armed. No gun was found.
Shelby said she fired her weapon out of fear because Crutcher ignored her commands to lie down and appeared to reach inside his SUV for what she thought was a gun.
She told prosecutors that police training videos showed her that if suspects are allowed to reach back into their vehicle, they 'can pull out guns and kill you'.
'I'm told in my training that you don't let them pull their arm back out,' Shelby added, referring to the open window of a vehicle.
But prosecutors said she overreacted, arguing that Crutcher had his hands in the air and wasn't combative, part of which was confirmed by police video that showed Crutcher walking away from Shelby with his hands above his head.
Protestors gather in front of the Mayo Hotel after a not guilty verdict for Shelby on Wednesday
A group of protesters block Denver Avenue near the Tulsa County Courthouse after the verdict was read on Wednesday
Shelby also said she feared Crutcher was under the influence of PCP, a powerful hallucinogenic known as Angel Dust that makes users erratic, unpredictable and combative.
An autopsy showed PCP was in Crutcher's system, and police said they found a vial of it in his SUV.
Shelby, who had never fired her weapon on duty before shooting Crutcher dead, said she does not regret what she did.
The killing of 40-year-old Crutcher was among a spate of officer-involved shootings in recent years that helped galvanize the Black Lives Matter movement and prompted calls for more police accountability.
Defense attorney Shannon McMurray argued that prosecutors rushed to charge Shelby for political reasons, fearing civil unrest like the angry street protests that erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott four days after Crutcher was killed.
In the aftermath of the verdict this week demonstrators blocked a main road in downtown Tulsa for a short period of time. The road was eventually cleared and the protesters voluntarily moved to a nearby street corner.
The family of Terence Crutcher leaves the courtroom after the jury returned a verdict in the trial of Shelby on Wednesday
Tiffany Crutcher, center, the twin sister of Terence Crutcher, talks with the media as she leaves the courtroom on Wednesday
The Rev. Joey Crutcher, father of Terence Crutcher, talks with the media following the verdict
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