Betty Shelby, a police officer who works in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been charged with first-degree manslaughter on Sept. 22 after she shot and killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black father who committed no crime but having his car break down on a city street.
Terence was recorded on both dash-cam and aerial footage walking away with his arms in the air while surrounded by police and a helicopter when Betty shot him, leaving him dead on the street. These police slayings have been increasingly covered in the news and online, but police are rarely charged, so this is very shocking. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler filed the charges, according to AP.
It’s hard to tell what actually happened because the footage doesn’t give a clear view of the exact moment Betty shot Terence. Betty’s lawyer explained that Terence wasn’t following police commands and that Betty fired a single shot when he tried to reach into his SUV. However, Terence’s family immediately refuted the claim, saying he was no threat to the officers, had no weapons and committed no crimes.
Betty has been with the Tulsa police since 2011, and was on her way to a completely separate domestic violence call when she found Terence’s abandoned car in the middle of the street. His family claims he had broken down. Since Betty’s dash cam was off, we do not know what happened before her fellow officers arrived, but once her colleagues came Terence can be seen placing his hands on the roof of his car as someone in the helicopter says “That looks like a bad dude, too. Probably on something,” moments before Betty opened fire.
Folks, what do you think about Betty being charged for Terence’s death? Share your thoughts with us!
hollywoodlife
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