Another day, another black man shot dead by US police
Outcry as unarmed pastor killed by woman officer moments after putting hands up
HIS hands in the air, this is black pastor Terence Crutcher moments before he was shot dead by a US policewoman.
The father of four died from a single shot after his car broke down and Officer Betty Shelby fired at close range.
Seconds earlier one of her colleagues had hit unarmed Mr Crutcher with a Taser, but she opened fire anyway.
The disturbing incident in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was filmed on a police dashboard camera, and the footage sparked global outrage after being released by officers.
It is the latest controversial police killing in the US, and follows violent protests in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and St Paul, Minnesota, after other black men were shot by white officers.
Mr Crutcher, 40, had broken down on the night of September 16 and was standing by his SUV when police responded to a 911 call about a vehicle blocking the road. The footage, released late on Monday, shows Mr Crutcher raising his hands, walking towards the car and leaning against it.
In another video captured by a police helicopter, a man is heard to say: ‘That looks like a bad dude. He might be on something.’
Mr Crutcher was tasered by policeman Tyler Turnbough before Officer Shelby opened fire.
The footage shows Mr Crutcher falling to the ground with blood covering his torso.
None of the officers helps him for two minutes. Mr Crutcher’s family watched both videos and said the police’s assessment of him had been totally wrong.
His twin sister Tiffany said: ‘That “big bad dude” was enrolled at Tulsa Community College. He just wanted to make us proud. That “big bad dude” loved God.’
The family’s lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said the police had treated Mr Crutcher ‘like a criminal’. He added: ‘They did not treat him like somebody in distress who needed help. Instead of giving him a hand, they gave him bullets.’
Officer Shelby’s lawyer Scott Wood claimed that she thought Mr Crutcher had a weapon and that he was acting erratically.
He said Mr Crutcher tried to reach into his car and put his hand in his pocket before he was shot.
Officer Shelby, who joined the force in 2011, has been placed on paid leave.
The US Department of Justice is investigating the incident.