Betty Jo Shelby drew her gun and warned the man to stop walking. But Terence Crutcher continued moving toward his S.U.V., which he had left in the middle of the road, the driver’s side door open and the engine running. He was mumbling to himself, but his hands were raised in the air.
Moments later, Officer Shelby fired a single shot, leaving Mr. Crutcher dead in the street. She told investigators she believed he had a weapon. But he was unarmed. Prosecutors indicted her on Thursday on a charge of first-degree manslaughter.
In many ways, the shooting, which took place in Tulsa, Okla., was a familiar one: A white police officer. An unarmed black man shot dead. A disturbing confrontation captured on video that prompted outrage across the country.
But this time, the officer firing the deadly shot was a woman, a rarity in fatal police encounters. – READ MORE
