LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

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Termite
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LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by Termite »

(CNN) — Tulsa, Oklahoma, 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.......
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Cybrludite
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by Cybrludite »

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Rod
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by Rod »

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the evidence the public has seen makes this a crap shoot. She may or may not have screwed up and there's enough doubt that the prosecutor is covering all bets. Yeah, the guy was hinky as Hell but someone tasered him just as she fired. She might have been startled by the taser or already squeezing the trigger when the other officer deployed the taser. Similar to Baltimore but the prosecutor didn't go hog wild on charges.
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NVGdude
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by NVGdude »

Rod wrote:I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the evidence the public has seen makes this a crap shoot.
...Similar to Baltimore but the prosecutor didn't go hog wild on charges.
THIS. In Baltimore they might have been able to convict the driver (and only the driver) of some degree of negligent homicide. (rough ride where it went south unintentionally) Charging with "Depraved Heart Murder" or whatever crazy-ass charge they went with was a publicity stunt that backfired badly.


In this case, from what the public has seen, it looks like the officer F'd up badly. She used lethal force in an instance where there was no objective threat. One officer used less than lethal force, and two officers used no force at all. That makes it pretty easy to argue that she made the wrong decision, and that makes it manslaughter one or two.
BDK
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by BDK »

She's going to be up a bit of a creek, I think.

He was definitely odd, and tasering was definitely justified, but when no one else felt a need to fire... She, probably, screwed up. Not sure that Man 1 would be the proper charge - and no idea how OK law is written...

Cops have no more right to use lethal force than any other private person - and I can't see that being an easy case to defend in a self-defense shooting...
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by PawPaw »

She's not the first one caught in a bad shoot, and (based on what I've seen) it shows good judgment on the part of the DA.

All cops are liable for the bullets they launch, from the time it leaves the barrel until the time it stops moving. We follow the same rules (or we should, at least) as the general public. If it's a good shoot, I'll stand behind anyone. If it's a bad shoot, then I believe that the justice system should have their day with them.

This young officer made what appears to be a horrible decision, and she should be accountable for it. We don't get a pass just because we carry the badge.
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Precision
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by Precision »

PawPaw wrote:She's not the first one caught in a bad shoot, and (based on what I've seen) it shows good judgment on the part of the DA.

All cops are liable for the bullets they launch, from the time it leaves the barrel until the time it stops moving. We follow the same rules (or we should, at least) as the general public. If it's a good shoot, I'll stand behind anyone. If it's a bad shoot, then I believe that the justice system should have their day with them.

This young officer made what appears to be a horrible decision, and she should be accountable for it. We don't get a pass just because we carry the badge.
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Langenator
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by Langenator »

Does Oklahoma require a grand jury to indict before going to trial, or can the indictment be done on just the say-so of the DA?

I know Texas requires a grand jury indictment for all felonies. If I was the Tulsa DA, I'd go to a grand jury whether I was required to or not.
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Jered
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Re: LEO charged in death of Terence Crutcher

Post by Jered »

NVGdude wrote:
Rod wrote:I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the evidence the public has seen makes this a crap shoot.
...Similar to Baltimore but the prosecutor didn't go hog wild on charges.
THIS. In Baltimore they might have been able to convict the driver (and only the driver) of some degree of negligent homicide. (rough ride where it went south unintentionally) Charging with "Depraved Heart Murder" or whatever crazy-ass charge they went with was a publicity stunt that backfired badly.
But then she'd have to go after the black guy.

:roll:
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