Police supervisor told officer to say nothing after shooting

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Updated 8:20 pm, Thursday, May 11, 2017





Tulsa Police officer Betty Shelby arrives at the Tulsa County Courthouse Thursday, May 11, 2017, for her manslaughter trial in the shooting death of Terence Crutcher, in Tulsa, Okla. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP)


TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The supervisor of a white Oklahoma police officer who shot an unarmed black man testified Thursday that he told her to say nothing about the incident because he knew the shooting would be racially explosive.

Tulsa police Cpl. Wyett Poth testified Thursday about his directions to Officer Betty Jo Shelby after the shooting of Terence Crutcher. He said he walked up to Shelby at the shooting scene to make sure she knew she had the right to say nothing.
 
"I told her not to say a word. I knew there was going to be a group of people that didn't like what happened simply because of the color of somebody's skin," he testified.

The testimony came in the second day of Shelby's manslaughter trial for the Sept. 16 shooting.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Witnesses-Man-posed-no-threat-before-fatally-11138841.php#item-38488

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[aeromanKC]

1. there was going to be people that didn't like what happened simply because of the color of his skin

Ya, because the fact that he was shot in the back while his hands were up wasn't reason enough.

[Egnever]

5. Right?

[Sgent]

2. That's actually good advice

too bad I doubt he tells his other suspects that.

[Honeycombe8]

3. That is the right thing to do, for anyone who may be in trouble after a shooting.

Don't say anything right away to the public. If you are in trouble later, get a lawyer. Especially in the climate of the country right now.

[mr_lebowski]

4. Gee, that's KINDA like 'reading a suspect their rights' ... but still, it's maybe different.

I'm gonna say it has ... well ... a LOT more of that 'friendly, good-old-boy, nudge-nudge, we got your back against them darkies, just keep your mouth shut and wait for our ... oops I mean your ... lawyer(s) to show up' kinda vibe ... than your typical 'miranda reading' might have.