On the evening of September 16, 2016, Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old Black man, found himself stranded on a Tulsa, Oklahoma road when his SUV stalled. This encounter would ultimately lead to his death. Police officer Betty Jo Shelby, en route to a domestic violence call, was the first to arrive on the scene where Crutcher's vehicle was abandoned in the middle of the street.
The events that unfolded over the next few minutes were captured on police dashcam and helicopter video, footage that would later be described by the Tulsa Police Chief as 'disturbing' and 'difficult to watch.'
The videos show Crutcher walking toward his SUV with his hands in the air as Shelby follows him with her gun drawn. Another officer, Tyler Turnbough, also arrived at the scene. From a police helicopter, an officer could be heard remarking, 'That looks like a bad dude, too, could be on something.' As Crutcher approached the driver's side of his vehicle, he was simultaneously tasered by Officer Turnbough and fatally shot once in the chest by Officer Shelby. He was unarmed, and no weapon was recovered from his person or his vehicle. Crutcher was taken to a hospital where he died.
In the aftermath of the shooting, an autopsy report revealed that Terence Crutcher had PCP in his system at the time of his death. Officer Shelby's attorney stated that she believed Crutcher was under the influence of the drug based on her training and his behavior. Shelby maintained that she fired her weapon because she feared Crutcher was reaching into his vehicle for a weapon. However, Crutcher's family asserted that he posed no threat to the officers.
Six days after the shooting, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler charged Betty Shelby with first-degree manslaughter, stating that she 'unlawfully and unnecessarily' shot Crutcher. Shelby turned herself in and was released on a $50,000 bond. In May 2017, a jury, which included three African-American members, found Officer Shelby not guilty. The verdict was met with anguish and outrage from Crutcher's family, with his father stating, 'Let it be known that I believe in my heart that Betty Shelby got away with murder.' Following her acquittal, Shelby resigned from the Tulsa Police Department and later became a Rogers County Sheriff's Deputy. The Justice Department also conducted a review of the case but announced in March 2019 that there was insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against Shelby.
