White Oklahoma cop who fatally shot unarmed black man with his hands up won't face charges

[left-of-center2012]

The Justice Department announced on Friday that Betty Jo Shelby, the white police officer who sparked outrage in 2016 after she fatally shot an unarmed black man Tulsa, Okla., will not face federal civil rights charges.

According to The New York Times, the government agency said that it was unable to find sufficient evidence to prove the Shelby willfully used unreasonable force when she killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher.

In footage of the ordeal, Crutcher could be seen holding his hands above his head when Shelby shot him. However, the Justice Department said that it hasn’t found sufficient evidence to prove Shelby’s use of force against Crutcher was “objectively unreasonable,” according to The Times.

R. Trent Shores, an attorney representing the Northern District of Oklahoma, said:
“... the evidence in this case did not support pursuing criminal prosecution. Moving forward, I hope that citizens and law enforcement will continue to work together to better our community,”

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/432347-white-oklahoma-cop-who-fatally-shot-unarmed-black-man-with-his

[brush]

1. Killer cops continue to get off. I doubt the outcome would've been the same...

under Holder's DOJ.

[msongs]

2. sounds like miscarriage of justice to me nt

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. Hands up,

open fire!

Somehow that does not seem reasonable to me.

[Shemp Howard]

4. Horrible decision

That cop executed Mr. Crutcher.

But unless you are wearing a magic blue suit, don't you try anything like that. "I was in fear for my safety" only works for cops. Anyone else who shoots an unarmed man goes to jail.

One can only hope that Mr. Crutcher's relatives will sue the hell out of that police department. That would be a small consolation, I know.

[uponit7771]

5. +1, unless the insurance companies that insure these PDs get bent then they'll keep the incompetence

[Shemp Howard]

6. I'll tell you how stupid I am.

I have been following this case. And I actually thought there was a chance this cop would be charged.

The poor man just reached into his car. Maybe he was going for his cell phone. Maybe he was going for his drivers licence. He sure wasn't going for a gun. Because there was no gun. But I guess that now "reaching" is a capital offence.

And does it matter that Mr. Crutcher was black? I think it does. After all, the cop probably assumed he was a gang member, and he was reaching for a machine gun.

This whole thing makes me sick.

[uponit7771]

7. +1, she was no doubt too afraid to patrol

[hatrack]

8. Hey, Blue Lives Matter!!!

In fact, they apparently matter way, way more than Black Lives.

So do Blue Careers, Blue Paychecks, Blue Paid Leave, Blue Administrative Leave . . .

[Cold War Spook]

9. I can not see how cases like this

will do anything but increase the number of LEOs killed in ambushes or by felons who will open fire first.

[IluvPitties]

10. As always, black lives don't matter in this country.