Former University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter in the July 19 shooting death of Samuel DuBose.
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Judge Megan Shanahan set his bond at $1 million (£640,000), sparking cheers in the courtroom, after she rejected defence arguments that Tensing would not flee.
Records from the Greenhills Police Department show that Tensing used a stun gun while working there in January 2012.
That was about an hour after Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced a grand jury’s decision to charge Tensing with murder after fatally shooting DuBose during the off-campus traffic stop.
University of Cincinnati campus police officer Ray Tensing initially told investigators that he shot Sam DuBose in the head after he tried to drive away and dragged the officer along with him.
Tensing, who could face up to life in prison if convicted, has said he thought he was going to be dragged under the auto and “feared for his life”, Mathews said.
Mr Matthews said he was shocked by the charges, and blamed the current US “political climate”, in reference to white police officers shooting black individuals.
Authorities have so far not focused on race in the fatal shooting.
Ray Tensing, 25, appeared briefly in Cincinnati court shackled and wearing a prison jumpsuit.
Deters played body camera footage of the traffic stop shooting that appeared to contradict Tensing’s version of what happened.
As AP notes, Tensing had been working for the University of Cincinnati for more than a year but started doing police work in a Cincinnati suburb in 2011. He can be seen exiting his auto and approaching DuBose, then asking for his license while explaining why he pulled him over.
The crowd of DuBose supporters in the courtroom cheered when Tensing’s bail was set at the high amount, leading to an admonishment from Shanahan. They say Tensing stopped the auto and a struggle ensued after DuBose failed to provide a driver’s license and refused to get out of the vehicle. The auto is heard crashing up the street, and Tensing runs after it on foot.
It hit DuBose’s head who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deters said that DuBose, who at one point handed Tensing an unopened bottle of gin, wasn’t at all violent toward the officer. The prosecutor said the video instead seemed to show that the officer had fell backward after shooting DuBose, and that the victim may have fallen forward on the gas pedal afterward.
Deters said he hopes the swift action by his office will show that justice is being done in this case.
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Any reaction by the community today, O’Mara said, should be peaceful. Like my mom said, let God fight the battle.
