Man fatally shot by Tulsa police had hands raised
TULSA, Okla. — An unarmed black man fatally shot by a white Tulsa officer responding to a stalled vehicle last week can be seen in police dash cam video walking toward his sport utility vehicle with his hands up and officers following behind him before he’s shocked with a stun gun and then fatally shot.
Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan announced Monday before the department released the footage that 40year-old Terence Crutcher had no weapon on him or in his SUV. Police said local and federal investigators are looking into Friday’s shooting to determine whether there should be criminal charges or if Crutcher’s civil rights were violated.
“We will achieve justice in this case,” Jordan said.
The police video shows Crutcher walking toward his SUV with his hands up and a female officer following him. The vehicle is stopped in the middle of the road. As Crutcher approaches the SUV, three male officers walk up and Crutcher appears to lower his hands and place them on the vehicle. The officers surround him, making it harder to see his actions from the police dashboard camera’s angle.
Crutcher can be seen dropping to the ground. Someone on the police radio says, “I think he may have just been Tasered.” One of the officers near Crutcher backs up slightly. Then almost immediately, someone can be heard saying, “Shots fired.”
Police have said Crutcher refused orders to put up his hands.
“We saw that Terence did not have any weapon. Terence did not make any sudden movements. We saw that Terence was not being belligerent,” said an attorney for Crutcher’s family, Damario Solomon-Simmons.
U.S. Attorney Danny Williams said the Department of Justice’s civil rights investigation into the shooting will be separate from a local one into whether criminal charges should be filed.
Tulsa Officer Betty Shelby fired the fatal shot, while Officer Tyler Turnbough used the stun gun, police said. Shelby was placed on paid leave.