Tulsa Police Shooting: Unarmed Man, Terence Crutcher

“… He’s a big, bad dude!”

Last Friday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two 911 calls were made in regards to an abandoned vehicle blocking the street, what followed resulted in the death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher.

Officer Betty Shelby, who is white, was the first to arrive. Crutcher was waiting for help on the road after his SUV broke down, away from his vehicle. He then approached the officer, police said.

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Aside from police claims, surveillance videos show an unarmed black man walking on a road with his hands in the air. Police officers follow closely behind him. He falls to the ground after one officer pulls the trigger.

The officer’s attorney says she was afraid Crutcher was reaching for a weapon when she opened fire. Shelby soon told dispatchers that Crutcher wasn’t cooperating, according to Tulsa’s police chief, who declined to provide further details.

Crutcher’s sister is demanding that prosecutors charge the officer who shot him. And the police videos of the incident are fueling mounting criticism online about the case.

Shelby is now on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of a criminal investigation. The officer joined the police force in 2011 and had worked for the county sheriff’s department for four years before that, according to her attorney, who described her record as a clean one.

In addition, both the US Department of Justice and state authorities have launched investigations into the officer-involved shooting.