The Justice Department and state authorities in Oklahoma are investigating the Sept. 16 shooting death of Terence Crutcher, a 40-year old black man who was shot and killed moments after he surrendered to police.
Danny Williams, U.S. attorney of the Northern District of Oklahoma, said prosecutors will attempt to determine whether a federal civil rights violation had occurred.
Officer Betty Shelby fired the fatal shot that killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher. (AP Photo)
Officer Betty Shelby, who is white and joined the force in 2011, is currently on administrative leave with pay pending the investigation. Shelby is the officer who is responsible for the fatal shot.
Shelby and Officer Tyler Turnbough were responding to a 911 call that reported a man was running from a vehicle after explaining to the caller that it was about to “blow up.”
The dashboard camera Crutcher walking toward his SUV in the middle of the road, with his hands raised after the two officers arrived. Shelby and three other officers, including Turnbough armed with a Taser, follow and surround Crutcher as he appears to place his hands toward the vehicle.
A camera in a helicopter above caught another official saying, “Time for taser, I think.” Another replied, “Yeah, I’ve got a feeling that’s about to happen,” to which the first officer says, “That looks like a bad dude, too. Probably on to something.”
Moments later, Crutcher can be seen dropping to the ground. Shelby yelled, “Shots fired!” and the helicopter video showed Crutcher’s body on the ground.
It took nearly three minutes for the officers to approach Crutcher, who had also been struck by Turnbough’s Taser. Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said local officials are also investigating.
“I want to assure our community, and I want to assure all of you and people across the nation who are going to be looking at this, we will achieve justice, period,” Jordan told reporters on Monday.
Jordan called the videos “very disturbing” and “very difficult to watch,” and confirmed that there was no gun on Crutcher or in his vehicle.
The Washington Post reported that Crutcher was the father of four children and was on his way home from class at Tulsa Community College where he was studying music appreciation.
In April, Robert Bates, a white Tulsa county reserve deputy, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison over the 2015 shooting of Eric Harris, an unarmed black male, during an undercover sting operation.
