Police on Sunday identified the two officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man on a city street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Local and federal authorities are investigating the death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said before the department released dashcam footage of Friday’s shooting.
“Mark White, representing We the People Oklahoma, was at the protest and said it “was a tragedy all the way around” and that there needs to be an increase in the amount of training officers receive”.
“We saw that Terence did not have any weapon”.
‘It was not apparent at any angle from any point that he lunged, came toward, aggressively attacked, or made any sudden movements that would have been considered a threat or life-threatening toward the officer, ‘ Goss told Tulsa World.
Goss said police let him review all three videos Sunday, along with members of Crutcher’s family, local activists and community leaders.
Tulsa police did not release the names and races of the officers’ involved.
“We wanted them to see it before it was released so they wouldn’t be blindsided by it”, Tulsa Police Sgt. Shane Tuell told the World. ‘With something of this magnitude, we’re trying an approach that we believe is necessary to further that transparency’. They also chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot”. She said an officer first used a stun gun on Crutcher before the other shot him with his gun.
Police say 40-year-old Terence Crutcher died after being shot Friday night when he refused officers’ orders to show his hands and instead reached inside a stalled vehicle in the middle of a street.
‘He refused to follow commands given by the officers, ‘ MacKenzie said.
“It’s very hard to watch”, Police Chief Chuck Jordan said at a press conference.
Authorities say the shooting occurred after an officer stopped to investigate the vehicle and that Crutcher approached after officers arrived to assist. Both officers were placed on administrative leave with pay, which is customary.
He declined to take any questions from the media or discuss more details about what he called a pending criminal investigation.
Tulsa police officers don’t now have body-worn cameras, although they were selected to receive a almost $600,000 cash-match grant for them in 2015. Pleas Thompson, president of the NAACP’s Tulsa chapter, also saw the videos. He says residents should respond with reason, not violence.
Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons and Terence Crutcher’s twin sister, Tiffany Crutcher, told reporters Saturday they want police to be transparent about the events leading up to the shooting.
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The U.S. Justice Department has launched a parallel civil rights investigation into the shooting that could also lead to charges. His family says his SUV stalled as he headed home from class at Tulsa Community College, where he had been studying music appreciation.
