Tulsa Cop Finally Telling Her Side Of The Story About Shooting Unarmed Man

The Tulsa, Oklahoma police officer who shot unarmed black man Terrance Crutcher spoke out publicly for the first time since the incident. The officer's spokesperson describes the ordeal from her perspective and explained why she made the fatal decision to fire.

Officer Betty Shelby gave her side of the story to the Tulsa shooting through her attorney, Scott Wood. Wood spoke to ABC News about what Shelby experienced that night.

According to Wood, Shelby was on the way to check out a domestic violence call when she encountered Crutcher, who 'didn't look right.'

Soon after, Shelby found a car in the middle of the road, abandoned, still running with windows down. As she checked out the vehicle, Crutcher approached her and she asked if it was his car.

That's when things began to go wrong. As she tried to talk to Crutcher, he ignored her requests to keep his hands out of his pocket and he kept looking at her funny. Crutcher voluntarily put his hands in the air, which was strange to Shelby because she didn't request he do so.

“I was never so scared in my life as in that moment right then,” Crutcher told investigators after the incident. Shelby - a drug recognition expert - was very concerned that Crutcher was under the influence. As he refused to follow any of her commands, the incident escalated.

“As a police officer, you have to wonder — why would someone ignore commands at gunpoint to get to a certain location?” Wood speculated.

As Crutcher approached his vehicle, Shelby was shouting repeatedly for him to stop and turn around. He continued to ignore her and reached into the car. Shelby shot at that moment, and another officer who arrived at the scene deployed his taser.

The investigation into Crutcher’s death is ongoing and Shelby is on paid administrative leave for the time being.

Source: Conservative Tribune
Photo: Tulsa World