TULSA, OK –Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby has been charged with felony manslaughter in the first degree, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler told reporters Thursday.
Shelby fatally shot 40-year-old Terence Crutcher after his SUV stopped in a roadway last week.
“We reviewed the facts of the allegations, it is our responsibility to determine if the filing of a criminal charge is justified under the law,” Kurnzweiler said.
An arrest warrant was issued for Shelby and arrangements have been made for her surrender, he said.
Through her attorney Shelby has said Crutcher was behaving strangely and ignoring her commands, and she was afraid that he might be reaching for a weapon.
Multiple police cameras, including ones mounted in squad cars and in a helicopter, captured the Crutcher shooting on tape. In the video, Crutcher can be seen with his hands raised above his head prior to his death. He walks away from Shelby towards his car.
None of the video showed whether the window was open or closed.
There was no weapon found in the car.
Crutcher’s family scheduled a news conference for later Thursday.
Activists planned a rally Thursday night in Tulsa. In a tweet the group WethePeopleOkalhoma said, “There is still work to be done.”
It all started after a 911 call Friday from a woman said an abandoned car was blocking the street and a man was running away. The man warned that it was going to blow up, the caller said.
Shelby was the first officer to arrive on the scene, though she was not responding to the 911 call. Her attorney said she was on her way to a domestic violence call when she saw Crutcher.
