Officer Involved in Terence Crutcher Shooting Charged with Manslaughter | Sojourners

Officer Involved in Terence Crutcher Shooting Charged with Manslaughter

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The District Attorney of Tulsa County announced on Sept. 22 that Officer Betty Shelby will be charged with manslaughter in the first degree for fatally shooting Terence Crutcher.

Officer Shelby shot and killed Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16 after Crutcher’s SUV stalled on a street and police arrived to investigate. Dashcam and helicopter footage of the shooting was released by the Tulsa Police Department on Sept. 19.

(Warning: Graphic footage.)

The Tulsa Police Department’s spokesperson stated that Crutcher refused officers’ orders to put his hands up and reached into his SUV. However, this contradicted statements from local community leaders who were shown footage of the shooting and stated that Crutcher’s “hands were in the air.” No weapon was found in Crutcher’s SUV by police.

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