Killing of Terence Crutcher explained

Location:36th Street North and Lewis Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Type:Homicide by shooting, police killing
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Participants:Betty Jo Shelby (shooter) and Tyler Turnbough (tased Crutcher)
Reported Deaths:Terence Crutcher
Accused:Betty Jo Shelby
Charges:First-degree manslaughter
Verdict:Not guilty

On September 16, 2016, Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old black motorist high on PCP,[1] was shot and killed by police officer Betty Jo Shelby in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed, standing near his vehicle near the side of the street.

The shooting led to protests in Tulsa. Six days later, on September 22, the Tulsa County District Attorney charged Shelby with first-degree manslaughter after the shooting was labeled a homicide. On May 17, 2017, a jury found her not guilty of first-degree manslaughter.

Background

Terence Tafford Crutcher Sr. (August 16, 1976 – September 16, 2016) was a 40-year-old man.[2] [3] [4] Crutcher's twin sister, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, described him as a father and said that at the time of his death he was enrolled to study music at Tulsa Community College.[5] [6] According to his sister, Crutcher was involved in his church and sang in the choir.[7]

The officers involved in the incident at Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 16, 2016, were Betty Shelby and Tyler Turnbough. Turnbough became an officer in 2009 and Shelby in 2011.

Incident

At 7:36 p.m.[8] on September 16, 2016, police received a 9-1-1 call about an abandoned vehicle in the middle of 36th Street North just west of Lewis Avenue.[9] [10] [11] One caller said: "Somebody left their vehicle running in the middle of the street with the doors wide open...The doors are open. The vehicle is still running. Its an SUV. Its like in the middle of the street. Its blocking traffic...There was a guy running from it, saying it was going to blow up. But I think he's smoking something. I got out and was like, 'Do you need help?' and he was like, 'Come here, come here, I think its going to blow up.'"[12] Another caller said: "There is a car that looks like somebody just jumped out of it and left it in the center of the road on 36th Street North and North Lewis Avenue...Its dead in the middle of the street...Its a Navigator. The driver-side door is open like somebody jumped out. Its on the yellow line, blocking traffic."[13]

Police stated that Crutcher kept reaching into his pocket, refused to show his hands, walked towards his vehicle despite being told to stop, and then angled towards and reached into his vehicle.[14] [15] [16] Critics have disputed this saying that the driver's side window was up when Crutcher was shot.[17] However, the Jury concluded "It is clear to the Jury after intensely studying the video, still photos, and testimony that the windows to the SUV driven by Terrance Crutcher that evening were open and that the jury believes from said evidence that Terrance Crutcher did in fact reach into the window disobeying the instructions of the police officers on location."[18]

Officers in the helicopter conversed with each other: "This guy's still walking and isn't following commands." "Its time for a taser, I think." "I've got a feeling that's about to happen." "That looks like a bad dude, too, could be on something."[19]

At this point, Turnbough tased Crutcher, and Shelby shot him.

Approximately two minutes after the shot, an officer checked Crutcher's pockets, and approximately 45 seconds later, someone crouched to offer aid. Police said Crutcher died in the hospital later that day. Tulsa police chief Chuck Jordan said no weapon was recovered from Crutcher's body or vehicle.[20]

Immediate aftermath

Police dashcam and helicopter video as well as the dispatch audio were released by police three days after the event on September 19, 2016. Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan called the video "disturbing" and "difficult to watch". The officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave.

Crutcher's twin sister said at a press conference, "You all want to know who that big, bad dude was? That big, bad dude was my twin brother. That big, bad dude was a father. That big, bad dude was a son. That big, bad dude was enrolled at Tulsa Community College — just wanting to make us proud. That big, bad dude loved God. That big, bad dude was at church, singing, with all his flaws, every week."[21]

The Tulsa Police Department started a criminal investigation of the shooting.[22] Homicide Sergeant Dave Walker stated that PCP had been recovered from Crutcher's car. Shelby's attorney had previously stated that she thought Crutcher might be under the influence of PCP based on what she learned during her drug-recognition training.[23] Crutcher's father had stated in a 2012 affidavit that his son had a history of PCP use.[24]

The police department paid $216,000 in overtime costs for 10 days after the death for services related to increased demonstrations, staffing of patrols, marches, Crutcher's funeral, and news conferences by the district attorney and Crutcher family during which the Incident Management Team also had a command post operating.[25]

Reactions

The United States Department of Justice opened a civil rights probe into the shooting. However, the Department of Justice later determined that no civil rights charge would be filed against any individual involved.[26] [27] Crutcher's twin sister said that federal Department of Justice officials told her (in her words): "because of the way the laws are written that it was almost next to impossible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt in these cases of police misconduct and use of force."[28]

Dozens of protestors gathered on September 19 by the courthouse. Ahead of the release of the video and audio recordings, the Tulsa chapter of Black Lives Matter held a protest outside the courthouse.

Crutcher's family, protestors, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma called for Shelby to be charged with his death.[29] [30]

Criminal charges and trial

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler charged Shelby with first-degree manslaughter.[31] [32] Shelby turned herself in at the Tulsa County Jail on the early morning of September 23, 2016, where she was booked, posted a bond of $50,000 and was released.[33] Shelby was accused of "unlawfully and unnecessarily" shooting Crutcher.[34] On May 17, 2017, a jury found Betty Shelby not guilty.[35]

Betty Shelby quit the Tulsa Police Department soon after the trial and became a Rogers County, Oklahoma Sheriff's Deputy.[36]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Associated Press . 2016-10-12 . Autopsy: Terence Crutcher had PCP in system when he was shot by Tulsa police . 2024-07-26 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
  2. News: Terence Crutcher, black man shot once by a Tulsa police officer, was unarmed . BBC . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920071633/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37413558 . September 20, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  3. News: Black man shot by Tulsa police had hands 'in the air,' says pastor who reviewed video of the shooting . Washington Post . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . Hawkins, Derek . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919143839/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/09/19/black-man-shot-by-tulsa-police-had-hands-in-the-air-says-pastor-who-reviewed-video-of-the-shooting/ . September 19, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  4. News: Man fatally shot by Tulsa police had no gun, chief says . CBS . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920190357/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/terence-crutcher-tulsa-man-fatally-shot-by-police-had-no-gun-chief-says/ . September 20, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  5. Web site: Shankar . Vedantam . Podcast . NPR - The Hidden Brain . 2023-06-24 . en.
  6. News: Tulsa Police Say Man Had No Gun; Video Show He Had Hands Up . ABC . Associated Press . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . Juozapavicius, Justin . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919170822/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tulsa-police-release-dashcam-video-fatal-shooting-42192589 . September 19, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  7. Web site: Terence Crutcher remembered as church-going, family man. 2020-07-02. NBC News. September 20, 2016 . en.
  8. News: Video released in fatal police shooting of unarmed Oklahoma man Terence Crutcher (WARNING - GRAPHIC) . New York Daily News . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . Salinger, Tobias . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920021711/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/video-released-fatal-police-shooting-unarmed-oklahoma-man-article-1.2798435 . September 20, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  9. News: TPD Identifies Man Shot And Killed By Tulsa Police In Friday Incident. KOTV-DT. September 17, 2016. September 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160920135035/http://www.newson6.com/story/33119074/tpd-officers-on-leave-after-man-is-shot-and-killed. September 20, 2016. live.
  10. News: Video Released in Terence Crutcher's Killing by Tulsa Police . New York Times . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . Stack, Liam . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920021343/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/us/video-released-in-terence-crutchers-killing-by-tulsa-police.html . September 20, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  11. Web site: Davis, Dave. Tulsa Group Protests Police Shooting Of Terence Crutcher. NewsOn6.com. September 19, 2016. September 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160920132041/http://www.newson6.com/story/33126680/tulsa-protest-planned-monday-in-death-of-terrence-crutcher. September 20, 2016. live.
  12. Web site: Cleary. Tom. 2016-09-20. LISTEN: Terence Crutcher Shooting 911 Calls & Dispatch Audio. 2020-10-29. Heavy.com. en-US.
  13. Web site: LISTEN: Terence Crutcher Shooting 911 Calls & Dispatch Audio. Cleary. Tom. September 20, 2016. en-US. September 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160924021344/http://heavy.com/news/2016/09/terence-crutcher-betty-shelby-tulsa-police-shooting-911-calls-dispatch-audio-listen-full/. September 24, 2016. live.
  14. News: The Latest: Attorney: Release any police video of shooting . Associated Press . September 19, 2016 . Washington Post . September 19, 2016 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160922174905/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-latest-attorney-release-any-police-video-of-shooting/2016/09/17/397245b4-7d18-11e6-8064-c1ddc8a724bb_story.html . September 22, 2016 . dead . mdy-all .
  15. News: Tulsa police shooting investigated by Justice Department . CNN . September 20, 2016 . September 20, 2016 . Max . Blau . Jason . Morris . Catherine E. . Shoichet . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920100448/http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/20/us/oklahoma-tulsa-police-shooting/index.html . September 20, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  16. Web site: Tulsa Officer Shares Her Side of the Story in Terence Crutcher's Shooting. September 21, 2016. ABC News. September 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160922003726/https://abcnews.go.com/US/tulsa-police-officer-shares-side-story-terence-crutchers/story?id=42243843. September 22, 2016. live.
  17. News: Whether Terence Crutcher's SUV window was up or down still questioned; Shelby did have Taser, police say . Tulsa World . September 23, 2016 . Corey Jones and Samantha Vicent . May 23, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170710120513/http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crimewatch/whether-terence-crutcher-s-suv-window-was-up-or-down/article_6628e2c5-5ec1-5913-b57a-016f1ca8db88.html . July 10, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  18. Web site: 2017-05-22. Read full letter from jury that acquitted Tulsa police officer in fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher. 2020-08-27. KFOR.com Oklahoma City. en-US.
  19. News: After Police Killing Of Unarmed Man, Tulsa Chief Promises To 'Achieve Justice' . NPR . September 20, 2016 . September 20, 2016 . Chappell, Bill . https://web.archive.org/web/20160921202201/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/20/494697359/after-police-killing-of-unarmed-man-tulsa-chief-promises-to-achieve-justice . September 21, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  20. News: Tulsa police release graphic footage of fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher . PBS . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . Barajas, Joshua . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919225300/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/tulsa-police-release-graphic-footage-of-fatal-shooting-of-terence-crutcher/ . September 19, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  21. Web site: Tiffany Crutcher sister of Terence Crutcher who was shot by Tulsa Police talks at a press conference. Tulsa World. September 29, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160926230632/http://www.tulsaworldtv.com/Tiffany-Crutcher-sister-of-Terence-Crutcher-who-was-shot-by-Tulsa-Police-talks-at-a-press-conference-31411875. September 26, 2016. live.
  22. Web site: Tulsa police open criminal investigation on shooting . Rooney . Kyle . September 20, 2016 . Hotnewhiphop . September 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160921184430/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/dashcam-footage-shows-tulsa-police-shooting-killing-unarmed-terence-crutcher-news.24213.html . September 21, 2016 . live .
  23. News: Police say PCP found in vehicle occupied by Terence Crutcher on Friday . Tulsa World . September 21, 2016 . September 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161117045928/http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/police-say-pcp-found-in-vehicle-occupied-by-terence-crutcher/article_d965a1f2-072b-57bf-a682-6b1cfb22b246.html . November 17, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  24. Web site: Terence Crutcher was turning life around before fatal Tulsa police shooting, family says. September 20, 2016. The Chicago Tribune. September 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160921113902/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-tulsa-police-shooting-20160921-story,amp.html. September 21, 2016. live.
  25. Web site: How much did Tulsa police spend on overtime in aftermath of Terence Crutcher killing? . Jones . Corey . October 17, 2016 . Tulsa World . May 7, 2017.
  26. Web site: DOJ: No civil rights charge in deadly Tulsa police shooting. March 1, 2019. AP NEWS.
  27. Web site: Liam Stack . Tulsa Police Officer Who Killed Unarmed Black Man Won't Face Civil Rights Charges - The New York Times . . September 16, 2016 . November 9, 2019.
  28. Web site: Crutcher. Tiffany. 2019-05-13. Opening Remarks of Dr. Tiffany Crutcher for the 21st Century Policing Briefing Rayburn House Office Building Room 2060. 2020-10-29. U.S. House of Representatives Document Repository.
  29. News: Latest: Protesters want arrest of officer in Tulsa shooting . Associated Press . September 19, 2016 . Fox News . September 19, 2016 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920080316/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/19/latest-protesters-want-arrest-officer-in-tulsa-shooting.html . September 20, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  30. News: Terence Crutcher Graphic VIDEO: Family Demands Justice, Police Announce Officer Killed Unarmed Oklahoma Man . International Business Times . September 19, 2016 . September 19, 2016 . Drakeford, Cortney . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923061150/http://www.ibtimes.com/terence-crutcher-graphic-video-family-demands-justice-police-announce-officer-killed-2418634 . September 23, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  31. News: Tulsa Police Officer Will Face Manslaughter Charge In Unarmed Man's Death . NPR . September 22, 2016 . September 22, 2016 . Chappell, Bill . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923020059/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/22/495079263/tulsa-police-officer-will-face-manslaughter-charge-in-unarmed-mans-death . September 23, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  32. Web site: 2014 Oklahoma Statutes :: Title 21. Crimes and Punishments :: §21-715. Manslaughter in the first degree a felony.. September 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161002035621/http://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/2014/title-21/section-21-715. October 2, 2016. live.
  33. News: Tulsa Officer Betty Shelby booked, released on bond. Ana Cabrera . Catherine E. Shoichet . Sheena Jones. CNN. September 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160927160110/http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/23/us/tulsa-officer-booked-released-on-bond/index.html. September 27, 2016. live.
  34. News: Tulsa officer Betty Shelby booked, released on bond . . September 23, 2016 . September 23, 2016 . Park, Madison . Jones, Sheena . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923085020/http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/23/us/tulsa-officer-booked-released-on-bond/index.html . September 23, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  35. News: Tulsa cop not guilty in fatal shooting of unarmed black man. Levenson. Eric. Gamble. Justin. May 17, 2017. CNN. https://web.archive.org/web/20170518010847/http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/17/us/tulsa-police-shooting-trial/index.html. May 18, 2017. live. May 18, 2017.
  36. Web site: Betty Shelby teaching course for officers on 'surviving the aftermath of a critical incident' . tulsaworld.com . August 24, 2018 . November 9, 2019.

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