Tulsa Officer Betty Shelby Found Not Guilty of Manslaughter in the Death of Terence Crutcher
Photo of Betty Shelby courtesy of Twitter.
Photo of Betty Shelby courtesy of Twitter.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma police officer who fatally shot Terence Crutcher last year will have the record of her manslaughter case removed.
READ: Oklahoma Cop Who Killed Terence Crutcher Says Race Had 'Nothing To Do With' Shooting
In a report from NBC News, District Judge William LaFortune ordered that Betty Shelby's killing of Crutcher be expunged from her record, as well as ordered that all documents involving the case be sealed and kept with the court. The case will only be accessible through a court order and can be destroyed after 10 years, according to state law.
"This crime does not exist for employment application purposes," Shannon McMurray, Shelby's defense attorney said Wednesday. "Like any other citizen who is acquitted, Betty Jo Shelby was entitled to have her record sealed and expunged. Betty...continues to work to try and serve her community and prays for everyone's continued healing."
The killing of Crutcher took place back in September of last year. Initially, officers had said that Shelby shot and killed Crutcher after he ignored officers' commands to raise his hands, and reached into a stalled SUV in the middle of a road in north Tulsa. However, the released footage from both the helicopter and dashboard shows that Crutcher had his hands up during the entire incident, and was still shot.
When the Tulsa Police Department released police videos of the moments around Crutcher's death, Chief Chuck Jordan said the footage was "very disturbing; it's very difficult to watch."
Ultimately, Shelby was found not guilty of first-degree manslaughter after jury debated for nine hours on a verdict.
Source: nbcnews.com
