 begin quote from:Tulsa cop charged with manslaughter |
Tulsa police officer charged with manslaughter
Story highlights
- Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby has been charged with felony manslaughter in the first degree
- She fatally shot 40-year-old Terence Crutcher after an encounter last week
(CNN)Tulsa,
Oklahoma, police officer Betty Shelby has been charged with felony
manslaughter in the first degree, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve
Kunzweiler told reporters Thursday.
Shelby fatally shot 40-year-old Terence Crutcher after his SUV stopped in a roadway last week.
"We
reviewed the facts of the allegations. It is our responsibility to
determine if the filing of a criminal charge is justified under the
law," Kurnzweiler said.
Betty Shelby
An
arrest warrant was issued for Shelby and arrangements have been made
for her surrender, he said. It was not clear when she would turn herself
in.
The criminal complaint
against Shelby said her "fear resulted in her unreasonable actions which
led her to shooting" Crutcher. She is accused of "unlawfully and
unnecessarily" shooting Crutcher after he did not comply with her
"lawful orders."
Attorneys
for Crutcher's family said they were "happy charges have been brought"
against the officer and they will be seeking a "vigorous prosecution" of
this case that results in a conviction.
The attorneys also expressed gratitude to the Tulsa Police Department.
"Today,
we are thankful to TPD, we are thankful to (police) Chief (Chuck)
Jordan for providing information to the District Attorney's office, and
we are happy that charges were brought," attorney Damario
Solomon-Simmons said during a news conference.
"This is a small victory," Crutcher's twin sister Tiffany told reporters.
"The chain breaks here. We're going to break the chains of police brutality," she added. "We know the history."
The
possible penalty for conviction on first-degree manslaughter in
Oklahoma is four years to life, according to Susan Witt, the public
information officer for the district attorney's office.
Gov.
Mary Fallin issued a statement, saying she prays that the decision to
charge Shelby brings "some peace to the Crutcher family and the people
of Tulsa."
She urged people to
remain patient as the case goes forward. "And we must remember that in
our justice system, officer Shelby is innocent until proven guilty,"
Fallin said.
CNN reached out to Scott Wood, the attorney for Shelby, but has not received a response.
Earlier
this week, Wood said his client thought Crutcher was behaving strangely
and ignored her commands, and that she was afraid that he might be
reaching for a weapon.
Multiple police cameras, including ones mounted in squad cars and in a helicopter, captured the Crutcher shooting
on tape. In the video, Crutcher can be seen with his hands raised above
his head prior to his death. He walks away from Shelby towards his car.
None of the videos showed whether the vehicle window was open or closed.
There was no weapon found in the car.
Affidavit says vehicle was cleared
It
all started after a 911 call last Friday from a woman who said an
abandoned car was blocking the street and a man was running away. The
man warned that it was going to blow up, the caller said.
Shelby
was the first officer to arrive on the scene, though she was not
responding to the 911 call. She was on her way to a domestic violence
call when she saw Crutcher standing in the street, according to
investigators.
She stopped behind his car, which was a block away.
The
chief investigator said in an affidavit that Shelby then approached the
car, "cleared the driver's side front and then proceeded towards the
passenger side of the vehicle." Then she saw Crutcher and talked to
him.
"He was mumbling to himself and would not answer any of officer Shelby's questions," according to the affidavit.
Crutcher
family attorney Melvin Hall said the affidavit shows that Shelby had
cleared the car of any threats before she tried to talk to Crutcher.
"Why when he approached the vehicle later would she have any concern," he said.
Protests are peaceful
A small group of protesters gathered Thursday evening in Tulsa.
"There
is currently no credible information that any of the gatherings,
protests, or rallies will be anything other than peaceful," the Tusla
Police Department posted on its Facebook page.
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