The Washington Post reports that a police officer has been charged with "first-degree manslaughter" after the on-duty, fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If found guilty, she would be imprisoned for at least four years. KJRH-TV has a transcript of the district attorney's press conference.
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Tulsa, Oklahoma Police Officer Charged with Manslaughter
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(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @11:29PM
According to the Wikipedia talk page
"Police initially claimed that he refused to show his hands and that he reached into his vehicle"
Every police officer caught lying should immediately be fired!! And charged for obstruction. If you are a police officer and you lie to cover something up that makes you a criminal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @11:36PM
"Every police officer caught lying should immediately be fired!! "
I don't think you understand the purpose of the police.
They are there to keep the cattle pacified and in line while they are farmed for productivity and wealth.
The only reason they threw this dog to the wolves is because the cattle are becoming restless. But it will most certainly be "just enough, but no more" to make them go back to chewing their cud.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday September 26 2016, @12:34AM
Or, from a less demented, conspiracy theory lurving point of view, the justice system worked exactly as it should have when this kind of thing happens.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:58AM
My original submission on the shooting reflected how pissed off I was about this and that's probably why that didn't make the front page.
Choirboy Stranded Motorist's Roadside Execution by Tulsa Police [soylentnews.org]
The cops were absolutely wrong at every turn.
This was a guy with no police record who was returning home to his wife and 4 kids literally from choir practice at his church when he had car trouble.
The first thing the cop did upon arriving was draw a deadly weapon and point it at someone who hadn't done anything wrong or anything suspicious.
Her partner, reacting to her (and not to to "the suspect") pulled his Taser and pointed at "the suspect".
Betty Shelby should never have been give a job where a gun was involved.
Her judgment is heinous.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday September 26 2016, @01:09AM
Shurg. I don't know her well enough to speak to that. Could have just been that time of month.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Monday September 26 2016, @04:11AM
Sorry, that's not an excuse. Raising it just makes you look bad.
It's possible that there WAS an excuse. It's possible that we have a doctored version of the story. But as the story is given, there is no acceptable excuse imaginable.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday September 26 2016, @10:39AM
Whoosh. Your response should have been "Obvious troll is obvious".
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Monday September 26 2016, @12:22PM
Get back on your meds old man.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday September 26 2016, @01:04PM
Some people just got no sense of humor. Yeesh.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @02:57AM
Coming from you, I will call that a compliment.
And it wasn't working. We know for a fact that if it was not for all the bad PR this would have been buried like all the others.
Feel free to grovel before your masters though, it amuses me...
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday September 26 2016, @10:46AM
Dude, when I call something a wacky conspiracy theory, it's way the fuck out there.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @11:38PM
He defied the cops orders to stop, get on the ground, the basic suspected felony stop procedures. Instead, he walked to his vehicle. That's asking for suicide by cop if you ask me. If he would have followed directions he would have been checked, released, and this would have been a non story. Now it's just more bait for SJW's.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:04AM
> He defied the cops orders to stop, get on the ground, the basic suspected felony stop procedures. Instead, he walked to his vehicle. That's asking for suicide by cop if you ask me.
I literally can't tell if you are doing a deadpan parody of jmorris, et al or are for real.
(1) It wasn't a "felony stop" his car had stalled, the cops were on their way to some other call when they encountered him.
Instead of rendering assistance they shot him.
(2) The penalty for disobeying orders by walking away with your hands in the air should not be death.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @01:40AM
You're not listening just like the dude that got shot wasn't listening. If a cop tells you to freeze/stop/drop/ or anything else, you do what he says. If you act like a thug and ignore the cops, well... R.I.P. I don't particularly like cops either, but I'm not going to do something stupid. I've been pulled over as a suspect in a felony and I didn't get shot because I did what he said, ten minutes was all it took to run me through the motorola and I was on my way.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Monday September 26 2016, @01:57AM
No, you're reacting like a dick who wasn't there, and who is assuming that the theoretical conditions that obtain in your head were at work in this incident. Would you like to know what there is a lot of on a highway? That's right, noise. Lots and lots of noise that drowns out speech. Some people have trouble discerning speech when there's a lot of background noise, even when it's amplified. Consonants blend together, vowels are lost.
I am one of those people, and I got pulled over for driving in the HOV lane on Staten Island with a car full of my wife and kids. The cop, from his car, yelled, "asdfhapdddf Get outta car." So I got out of the car. Then he screamed "Dfsdfsdf Get IN Car." So I got in the car. He came to the window and yelled at me for getting out of the car, and I said I got out of the car because you said 'get out of the car.' I know very well that if I was a big black guy I would have been shot dead, because an asshole cop screamed incomprehensible instructions on a poorly maintained piece of equipment next to an 8-lane highway.
Still think the victim deserved what he got?
You're just one unlucky day away from being murdered by cops, through no fault of your own. Consider that, and try not to be a dick about incidents like these in the future.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @02:45AM
He's not a dick. He's a fucking bootlicker.
It isn't even police procedure to shoot people for disobeying. They are only allowed to shoot if (1) they fear for their lives or (2) the suspect is extremely dangerous and likely to hurt someone. Neither was the case, despite the cop claiming the former - they always claim the former because its completely subjective and cops are terrified of black men so 9 times out of 10 that works in court.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Hairyfeet on Monday September 26 2016, @06:01AM
I'll get shit for this but fuck it, truth is truth and the fact is that girl should have never been a cop. I mean did you look at her? She looks like MAYBE 125 soaking wet with no muscle tone at all. Hell my aunt could have whupped this girl's ass when she was in her 60s!
The simple fact of the matter is weakness equals fear and this girl was weak. Now does that mean women can't be cops? Nope but it DOES mean they should be able to take down a suspect in hand to hand and that girl would probably have trouble taking down the tough chick at their local HS, much less taking down a man. BTW this applies to men as well, as all those fat as fuck cops that can't run half a block and the strongest muscle is their wrist from popping food in their mouths? Shouldn't be cops either as when confronted with someone that appears stronger than they are they are gonna do just as this woman did...grab the gun.
Also I don't think it has jack shit to do with race, it has to do with fear and a girl that small would have been just as afraid if confronted by a big old redneck or Latino that didn't obey her as she was little and weak, they were big and strong...she was a tragedy just waiting to happen.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @12:46PM
> Also I don't think it has jack shit to do with race, it has to do with fear
Wake up man. Race and fear are tightly interconnected. Blackness is perceived as more scary. Even by black people because its pounded into our subconscious by our culture. Hell, the one black spice girl was named "scary spice." Its fucking everywhere.
(Score: 2) by BK on Monday September 26 2016, @01:18PM
I think you'll find that 'fear for my life' in cop-speak is a euphemism for 'met or approached the well understood minimum standard for shooting' without any actual fear. A surprising number of fit 6ft tall Irish cops seem to have the same kind of 'fear'.
...but you HAVE heard of me.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Hairyfeet on Monday September 26 2016, @02:12PM
I didn't say anything about the "fear for my life" BS cops use, I'm talking ACTUAL fear. Listen to her voice, listen to how high and agitated it is...she is just about ready to piss her pants....why? Because she is this little tiny weak thing that has no more muscle mass than your average bank teller and was sadly probably hired to check a box on the "diversity" pamphlet.
I hope all those that push for diversity hiring take a real good look, because that is what you get...you get people that are completely and wholly unqualified to do the job being hired not because of their skill or abilities but because of sex or skin color. There is a reason why the other cop grabbed the taser, because he was not scared half to death and knew one zap would end the situation, she was small, weak, and facing someone twice her size so no shit her first reaction is gonna be to grab a gun. Like I said she was a tragedy waiting to happen and if it hadn't been this guy it would have been another down the line, she was just too frail and weak for the job she was doing.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @03:02PM
And you know all this because this one case of someone who has a "high and agitated" voice also happens to be 124lbs totally proves that being small means feeling weak.
> There is a reason why the other cop grabbed the taser,
And you know what the reason is because bigotry. Yours that is.
Get over yourself you self-important schmuck.
(Score: 3, Informative) by t-3 on Monday September 26 2016, @09:05AM
So if your daughter gets raped and killed walking home from school - she was asking for it! Your house gets broken into because you have normal doors and windows and don't live in a bunker - you were asking for it! Murdered by fascist state thugs - you were asking for it! FUCKYOU!!! I've mouthed off to the police, not followed intsructions, did not cooperate, was I shot? No, because my skin is white. I've been manhandled, threatened, arrested, for acting like this, but I've never been shot - because my skin is white. This was cold blooded murder by the police, no ifs and or buts. Fuck these racist cops and fuck you bootlicking scumbags that support them when they do these things. Could this man have exercised better judgement, knowing that he's black and cops want to kill black people? Yes, but HE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!!!
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Monday September 26 2016, @01:05AM
The proper charge may be actually "accessory after the fact", rather than obstruction, depending on what the officers did. Merely lying about it is obstruction and perjury, but if they, for example, destroy incriminating video, then they are an accessory and thus partially guilty for the underlying murder(s).
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @01:14AM
Upon arriving, the cops should have activated the patrol car's light bar, which would have started the dashcam.
They didn't, so there's no record of that part of the encounter.
What has been recorded was a cop shooting someone in the back as he "assumed the position", putting his hands on his car.
That woman sees life through a distorted lens and should never have been given a gun or a badge.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @01:57AM
I had a similar exchange with a friend:
F: Yeah, but you don't know what happened because they don't have videos.
M: But they should, the camera turns on when the lights are on.
F: There wasn't an emergency when they got there and they didn't know what it would turn into.
M: Uhh, if you look at the tape they do have, the cruisers are in the middle of the road. If anything they should have them on to prevent people from running into the vehicles!
F: Yeah, but how would they know if people were coming?
M: Ok, this is officially not a conversation worth having.
Alright, you caught me, that last bit was only in my head, but I'm still surprised how many people seem to be of the belief the police can literally do no wrong.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Entropy on Monday September 26 2016, @05:45AM
Looks like he refused to show his hands as he was reaching for ...something..inside his vehicle. The guy had 5 active warrants, and a lengthy criminal record which included shooting people, and resisting law enforcement. It's nice the dirtbag had his hands up as he ignored the officer's commands and went to climb in his vehicle to do who-knows-what, but she was probably right to fear he had a gun in there.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @06:15PM
With the windows of his vehicle up and the doors closed, that "something" would have been impossible to touch--even if the lying cop had actually seen that "something".
She didn't because, once again, she's spinning a series of lies to cover her fraidy-cat ass.
My submission on the events
Choirboy Stranded Motorist's Roadside Execution by Tulsa Police [soylentnews.org]
references The Intercept's article
Video Shows Terence Crutcher Was Not Reaching Into Car When Shot [theintercept.com]
dirtbag
Crutcher was a black man living in an extremely racist city who managed to keep a spotless police record for all of his 40 years.
He was literally a choirboy, a term often used to describe someone who never causes any trouble.
The word "bootlicker" has been used in this (meta)thread.
That describes you and your willingness to believe anything that any cop says.
Again, the videos show that she's lying to cover her ass for her out-of-policy actions for which she has been arrested and charged with a first-degree felony.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 25 2016, @11:57PM
'cause she did slaughter a man.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday September 26 2016, @12:00AM
anyone taking bets on a conviction, or a suspended sentence?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday September 26 2016, @12:26AM
I'm betting on a chimpout. Oh, wait, there is one, in Charlotte.
And chuckling inside...my redneck friend who had roots in Oklahoma told me stories about how Tulsa was fucked up...back in the 1990's when I was a wee lad. It's time to listen to some good ol' Americana, Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother. [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @01:24AM
Now go back to the 1920s.
There was a district of Tulsa called Greenwood also known as "The Black Wall Street of the West".
The Whites didn't like that so they used aerial incendiary bombing and personal firearms to attempt to wipe it out in 1921.
Tulsa race riot [wikipedia.org]
Tulsa has always been a racist, fucked-up place.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday September 26 2016, @02:24AM
Absolutely disgraceful. I may be a politically incorrect bastard but I believe in the freedom of all men and that Americans should be benevolent.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @05:43PM
your summary of the events you linked to is bullshit. While i'm sure many poor whites didn't like the Negros getting "all uppity" with their financial success in greenwood and it was one of many grudges harbored, it wasn't why the riot/conflict started nor does it appear to be the main reason things escalated. It was about some negro allegedly raping a white girl/woman that, due to racial tensions (with many reasons/excuses on both sides, i'm sure) escalated to a mini war in which the whites, no doubt had an advantage. There's enough of a story where you don't have to make shit up, jackass.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Monday September 26 2016, @01:34AM
No conviction is my bet. My understanding is a conviction is a sentence, judge can't suspend it on their own.
Then again, I'm not a lawyer, don't live in OK, so that's 2 strikes against my understanding.
My reading? She needs to go to prison, send a strong message to cops you can't just shoot people because reasons. My guess? She'll get off, prolly fired from the police force, but be allowed to live her life without a felony conviction following her around.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by BK on Monday September 26 2016, @02:18AM
Smart money says she gets off on a hung jury or an outright acquittal. Not a lawyer and definitely not current on Oklahoma law, but this is going to be a tough conviction. This isn't just because of the inherent conflict of interest between police and the rest of the judiciary, but also because of the way the law about things like murder and manslaughter work.
If I (or you) were to shoot some guy in a random parking lot and claim self defense (fearing for our life!), we'd face a skeptical judicial system and lots of questions. Why were we there in the first place? Why did we have a gun? Why did we draw our weapon? Why did we point it at a person? What caused us to fear for our life? Why didn't we retreat? (even in a 'stand your ground' state, the question will be asked) Finally, why we actually pull the trigger?
Presumably, the parking lot is one you visit all of the time... otherwise you're almost certain to lose. You can claim the 2nd amendment for 'Why did you have a gun?'... but only if you customarily carry. Each step beyond that point will be used by the prosecution to show criminal intent. You drew your weapon because you wanted to shoot a Big Scary Black Man. You feared for your life because of the Big Scary Black Man. You are a racist because you sang 'Nigger' in the lyrics of some song in High School. The jury is ultimately told that they can infer intent and weight the facts as they choose. That's you and me.
For a policeperson, it's harder... She is armed because she is required to be armed. She is there because she was told to be. She engaged with the Big Scary Black Man because her supervisor told her to. She drew her weapon because that's police procedure. She feared for her life because she was told in training that people (especially Big Scary Black Men) who don't enthusiastically comply with degrading and contradictory commands from policepersons and who position themselves so that one or more hands are out of view are surely armed and about to kill her. And the thing is, that's all true.
So she feared for her life because she had been taught to. And she was acting in accordance with well established police procedure. Or maybe she wasn't. Maybe she did everything by the book... and in the last moment she accidentally pulled the trigger (making it just an accident). She's real sorry someone died. Is there evidence to disprove either theory? Either is reasonable doubt.
Manslaughter usually requires gross negligence or recklessness. Either is going to be hard to show. Honestly, I think there is a better case to be made for either against whichever policeperson was in command at the scene.
...but you HAVE heard of me.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @01:10AM
And the authorities are taking it seriously. Just saying
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 26 2016, @01:47AM
Notice how the male drew a taser and the lady drew a gun.
Just sayin'.
(Score: 2) by Entropy on Monday September 26 2016, @06:52PM
Noice how the "innocent" guy was resisting so much multiple cops are using force(taser, gun) on him. "My hands are up I'm going for my gun in my car!"
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Monday September 26 2016, @09:33PM
Haven't followed this one too closely, but I think I recall seeing some footage from a chopper where the pilot is going "WTF?" and figuring shit is about to get real right before the shooting started. So that tells me anyone with cop training was getting triggered by something they consider obvious about how events were unfolding.
That said, I gotta go with hairyfeet on this one, this one is most likely a case of the revolution eating itself, an affirmative action hire getting another minority killed. Little girls shouldn't be given a badge and a gun (and probably insufficient training) and sent out into the mean streets and then expecting to perform like men. So a guy is dead and a girl's life is destroyed; who wins here? Since no lesson will be permitted to even be discussed, we won't even learn from a bad example.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Entropy on Monday September 26 2016, @09:37PM
It's just more #blackliesmatter nonsense, really. The female angle is humorous, but when the resisting arrest guy with 5 warrants shoves both hands in his vehicle, and the taser doesn't work it isn't very surprising he gets shot.