Tulsa County DA:Charges of manslaughter in 1st degree will be filed against Officer Betty Shelby

[SZonian]

https://twitter.com/KTULNews/status/779055851323715584

https://twitter.com/KTULNews

[mystery-ak]

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler filed the charges Thursday against officer Betty Shelby (pictured), who shot and killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16. | AP Photo
Tulsa police officer charged with first-degree manslaughter in man's death

09/22/16 04:42 PM EDT


TULSA, Okla. — Prosecutors in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have filed first-degree manslaughter charges against the white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man on a city street.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler filed the charges Thursday against officer Betty Shelby, who shot and killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16. Dashcam and aerial footage of the shooting and its aftermath showed Crutcher walking away from Shelby with his arms in the air.

The footage does not offer a clear view of when Shelby fired the single shot that killed Crutcher. Her attorney has said Crutcher was not following police commands and that Shelby opened fire when the man began to reach into his SUV window.

Tulsa police say Crutcher did not have a gun on him or in his vehicle.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/betty-shelby-tulsa-charged-terence-crutcher-228542

[Resp3]

My first thoughts are that this is a typical DA move. Someone just looking to make a name for himself on a national level. And that "blaming the cops" is an easy gimmick designed to satisfy the BLM thugs who want to turn Tulsa into another Charlotte.

We'll see how this plays out.

[Resp3]

Speaking through her attorney, Tulsa (OK) police officer Betty Shelby has adamantly maintains that she fired on shooting Terence Crutcher, a serial felon who was the subject of several 911 calls after he drove his vehicle into oncoming traffic and then abandoned it, apparently screaming that he perceived it to be “on fire” and about to blow up.

Such delusions are not uncommon among PCP users, and a vial recovered in the SUV after the incident was proven to contain the powerful perception-altering drug.

Crutcher shooting by Officer Shelby and tasing by Officer Tyler Turnbough was captured in a video filmed by a Tulsa Police helicopter circling overhead in a counterclockwise turn.


more....

http://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2016/09/22/betty-shelby-was-justified-in-shooting-terence-crutcher/?utm_source=badaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With news just breaking that the DA in Tulsa is an idiot who believes Betty planned to kill Crutcher (charging her with 1st Degree Murder!); I hope (and fully expect) the facts will exonerate her.

Edit. Backing off my comment here about 1st Degree Murder. The charge is 1st Degree Manslaughter. A slight distinction.

[geronl]

Trump said the guy had his hands up and that the case was very troubling. lol

[geronl]

http://www.sptimes.com/News/112300/photos/wk-CHICKEN.jpg

Trump 'very troubled' by Oklahoma fatal police shooting

Cleveland Heights, Ohio (CNN)Donald Trump said Wednesday he was "very troubled" by the fatal police shooting late last week in Oklahoma of an unarmed black man and suggested the officer in question "got scared" or was "choking."
Trump offered his first public reaction to the shooting during an event at the church of Pastor Darrell Scott, a black supporter who asked Trump for his reaction to the police shootings of black men in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Trump began his response by praising police and noting he has been endorsed by several law enforcement groups, but added that "you always have problems."
"You have somebody in there that always makes a mistake, that's bad or that chokes," Trump said, using a term he often uses to describe somebody who falters under pressure.

snip

"I must tell you, I watched the shooting in particular in Tulsa and that man was hands up, that man went to the car -- hands up -- put his hand on the car. To me, it looked like he did everything you're supposed to do," Trump said. "And he looked like a really good man -- and maybe I'm a little clouded because I saw his family talking about him after the fact ... but he looked like somebody who was doing what they were asking him to do."

So according to Trump, the officer choked, the victim was a good man who had his hands up

[bilo]

My first thoughts are that this is a typical DA move. Someone just looking to make a name for himself on a national level. And that "blaming the cops" is an easy gimmick designed to satisfy the BLM thugs who want to turn Tulsa into another Charlotte.

We'll see how this plays out.

I don't know. My info is limited, but he wasn't advancing on the cop. He didn't have a weapon. There was no reason to believe he was fleeing after committing a forcible felony. Also, the DA would have the initial statements of the other cops at the scene. So far it sounds like the cop really screwed up.

[geronl]

I don't know. My info is limited, but he wasn't advancing on the cop. He didn't have a weapon. There was no reason to believe he was fleeing after committing a forcible felony. Also, the DA would have the initial statements of the other cops at the scene. So far it sounds like the cop really screwed up.

Shockingly a case where Trump is ahead of his supporters. lol.

[sinkspur]

Clearly, when one of her partners used a tazer and AT THE SAME TIME she shot Crutcher, she used way too much lethal force.  That will work against her.

This seems an appropriate charge.

[sinkspur]

Speaking through her attorney, Tulsa (OK) police officer Betty Shelby has adamantly maintains that she fired on shooting Terence Crutcher, a serial felon who was the subject of several 911 calls after he drove his vehicle into oncoming traffic and then abandoned it, apparently screaming that he perceived it to be “on fire” and about to blow up.

Such delusions are not uncommon among PCP users, and a vial recovered in the SUV after the incident was proven to contain the powerful perception-altering drug.

Crutcher shooting by Officer Shelby and tasing by Officer Tyler Turnbough was captured in a video filmed by a Tulsa Police helicopter circling overhead in a counterclockwise turn.


more....

http://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2016/09/22/betty-shelby-was-justified-in-shooting-terence-crutcher/?utm_source=badaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With news just breaking that the DA in Tulsa is an idiot who believes Betty planned to kill Crutcher (charging her with 1st Degree Murder!); I hope (and fully expect) the facts will exonerate her.

Edit. Backing off my comment here about 1st Degree Murder. The charge is 1st Degree Manslaughter. A slight distinction.

No.  A very big distinction.  She certainly didn't premeditate to shoot Crutcher, but her judgment was wrong in shooting him.

[geronl]

even Trump can figure this one out.

[Lando Lincoln]

Can't imagine why anyone would want to be a cop today.  Not even in Mayberry. 

We really aren't too many degrees of change from anarchy, it seems. 

[Lando Lincoln]

Clearly, when one of her partners used a tazer and AT THE SAME TIME she shot Crutcher, she used way too much lethal force.  That will work against her.

This seems an appropriate charge.

Agreed sink.  It is a shame we no longer allow the process to work appropriately.  The condemnation is complete for this officer on nearly all fronts.

[r9etb]

Clearly, when one of her partners used a tazer and AT THE SAME TIME she shot Crutcher, she used way too much lethal force.  That will work against her.

This seems an appropriate charge.

I think it's a stretch, actually: like the Baltimore case, it's more a political move than anything else.

Her defense will go like this:

First off, she's trained to spot the signs of PCP use and this guy appeared to be on it.  And tasers often don't work well on guys who are on PCP.

Second, the taser actually helps, rather than hurts her case.  The fact that both officers responded with force (deadly and otherwise) indicates that both of them felt that Crutcher posed a risk.

Third (and this WILL show up at trial) is that this guy was uncooperative, reaching into his vehicle, in a situation that is amazingly similar to this one: http://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2016/09/20/cops-dont-let-suspects-return-vehicles-murder-kyle-dinkheller/, wherein the officer should have opened fire but did not, and died.

[Resp3]

No.  A very big distinction.  She certainly didn't premeditate to shoot Crutcher, but her judgment was wrong in shooting him.     

I'll admit to not knowing the time frame between the tazing and the shooting. Was it immediately? 2-5 seconds later?

I believe that will be her "Get out of Jail, Free Card".

Tazing a PCP user has little to no effect. If Crutcher took a tazing and still ignored orders and acted out - it's a justified shot.

[XenaLee]

http://www.sptimes.com/News/112300/photos/wk-CHICKEN.jpg

Trump 'very troubled' by Oklahoma fatal police shooting

snip


So according to Trump, the officer choked, the victim was a good man who had his hands up

In the video that I saw, Crutcher clearly did NOT have his hands up by the time he reached his SUV.  His hands were down and ON the car, possibly reaching for something as Shelby claimed.  You can't tell if the windows were up or down, but his hands were sure as hell not "up".

[Resp3]

In the video that I saw, Crutcher clearly did NOT have his hands up by the time he reached his SUV.  His hands were down and ON the car, possibly reaching for something as Shelby claimed.  You can't tell if the windows were up or down, but his hands were sure as hell not "up".

Even if they were up - it doesn't matter. FTA...

Critics of Officer Shelby maintain that the windows of Crutcher’s SUV were up, and that he therefore could not have reached into the vehicle.

I watched the video several more attempting to discern whether the windows were up or down, and came to a stunning realization: it doesn’t matter in the slightest.

The entire argument is a red herring.

more....

 

[sinkspur]

I'll admit to not knowing the time frame between the tazing and the shooting. Was it immediately? 2-5 seconds later?

I believe that will be her "Get out of Jail, Free Card".

Tazing a PCP user has little to no effect. If Crutcher took a tazing and still ignored orders and acted out - it's a justified shot.

 Cops are not justified in killing someone because they "don't follow orders."  They are only justified in using lethal force when their lives are in danger.

The tazing and shooting took place at the same time.

She may skate on this, but, since they found no gun in the car,  this was a case of a scared cop.  And scared cops are worthless.

[r9etb]

The tazing and shooting took place at the same time.

She may skate on this, but, since they found no gun in the car,  this was a case of a scared cop.  And scared cops are worthless.

Two scared cops, you mean: they both pulled triggers, because they both thought he posed a threat.

[sinkspur]

Two scared cops, you mean: they both pulled triggers, because they both thought he posed a threat.

Tazing is not lethal force.   Tazing justified;  shooting not justified.

[bilo]

Shockingly a case where Trump is ahead of his supporters. lol.

LOL! Thanks for putting a smile on my face.

It's a shame people are so quick to politicize these shootings, one way or the other. We really should just want to get to the truth.

[Resp3]

Cops are not justified in killing someone because they "don't follow orders."  They are only justified in using lethal force when their lives are in danger.

The tazing and shooting took place at the same time.

She may skate on this, but, since they found no gun in the car,  this was a case of a scared cop.  And scared cops are worthless.

Right. So she was not alone in believing lethal force was necessary. The fact that the cop used a Taser will help her substantially.

And what difference does it make if Crutcher had a gun or not? Stop parroting the media spin. Michael Brown didn't have a gun either. And he certainly definitely needed killing.

[sinkspur]

I think it's a stretch, actually: like the Baltimore case, it's more a political move than anything else.

Her defense will go like this:

First off, she's trained to spot the signs of PCP use and this guy appeared to be on it.  And tasers often don't work well on guys who are on PCP.

Second, the taser actually helps, rather than hurts her case.  The fact that both officers responded with force (deadly and otherwise) indicates that both of them felt that Crutcher posed a risk.

Third (and this WILL show up at trial) is that this guy was uncooperative, reaching into his vehicle, in a situation that is amazingly similar to this one: http://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2016/09/20/cops-dont-let-suspects-return-vehicles-murder-kyle-dinkheller/, wherein the officer should have opened fire but did not, and died.

It's impossible to see on the video whether or not he reached into the vehicle.   And, it doesn't matter if the guy was uncooperative.

Cops are not justified in using lethal force unless there is an immediate threat to their lives.  I just don't see it in this case.

[HAPPY2BME]

It was manslaughter, plain as day.

[geronl]

I'll admit to not knowing the time frame between the tazing and the shooting. Was it immediately? 2-5 seconds later?

I believe that will be her "Get out of Jail, Free Card".

If he was being tased when shot, that will not help her, that's gonna fry her