Officer Betty Shelby On Terence Crutcher Shooting: I Was Temporarily Deaf!

[KamaAina]

Not. The. Onion.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/officer-betty-shelby-on-terence-crutcher-shooting-i_us_57ed8ba2e4b0972364deaf02

Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby was temporarily deaf during her encounter with Terence Crutcher, this according to her attorney, Scott Wood.

Wood said Shelby had experienced what is called “auditory exclusion,” a form of temporary hearing loss occurring under high stress. This is apparently why Shelby did not hear sirens from the additional police vehicles, she didn’t hear when Officer Tyler Turnbough arrived, nor did she hear him announce to her that he has his Taser.

Wood said Shelby is justified in gunning down Crutcher, since she believed he had a gun, and “…if you think someone has a gun, you don’t get your Taser out.” No gun was found on Crutcher, nor his vehicle, and Shelby was not responding to a call about an armed person, so her suspicion of Crutcher being armed is questionable.

Shelby was charged with felony manslaughter in the first degree, and was arrested after turning herself in to authorities. She was booked at a local county jail and released on $50,000 bond, 23 minutes after her arrest.

Mmmmkay, Betty, you just failed your next physical.

[underpants]

1. Can't-hear-you-enza

[AgadorSparticus]

2. O.m.g. this is ridiculous! IF this is remotely true, she has no business

Being a police officer. YOU are law enforcement. YOU are supposed to stay calm in highly stressful situations. That is your job. Ridiculous.... she just needs to be prosecuted.

[GP6971]

3. Like I have the

Slightest chance of believing this BS

[Oldem]

4. More likely a temporary

but now improved attack of bigotry.

[ColemanMaskell]

5. Was it accompanied by temporary selective blindness? She neither heard NOR saw the other police cars

Sounds like hypnosis or sleepwalking, if true -- or some other seriously disabling mental condition. Wouldn't the other police cars have had some pretty obvious flashing lights, in addition to the sirens?

It'd be great if she got on the stand and explained at the trial just exactly what mental state she was experiencing, but that seems unlikely.

They should have a policy of mandatory drug testing on an officer involved in an incident like that.

In fact in the interests of public safety police should undergo regular and random drug testing like professional athletes. Also both physical and mental exams at least annually.

[brush]

6. Nobody believes that crap. She just panicked. Unfit for duty, perfect for jail though.

[Egnever]

7. As if that is relevant

[mythology]

8. I'm impressed that her attorney got through that with a straight face

She fucked up badly, and while hopefully she goes to jail for it, it is Crutcher and his family that paid an irreversible price.

[Thor_MN]

9. Task loading.

It is not uncommon to become "tunnel visioned" in a high stress or novel environment. My dive instructor beat me in a game of tic-tac-toe the first time I was at 40 feet to prove that point. If you have too many inputs, simple tasks can be impossible.

The problem is, the job of police officer does not allow for one to lose situational awareness in a high stress environment. That officer was not fit for the job.