Jury Explains Acquitting Officer Betty Shelby
The jury of 12 who acquitted Betty Shelby in the shooting death of Terence Crutcher is explaining their actions. As previously reported the Tulsa officer got off for killing Crutcher in September 2016 while his hands were up and he walked away because she “feared for her life.”
According to KFOR.com the jury consisting of nine whites and three blacks has released a letter explaining the acquittal.
Speaking via the jury foreman, the jurors said there was “no evidence the officer acted outside her training.” Furthermore, the jurors did not believe race was a factor.
“The jury concluded that any officer put in that situation at that exact moment and regardless of the skin color, gender or size of the suspect, would have performed the same way, which is in accordance with their law enforcement training,” wrote the foreman.
The foreman also noted that some jurors wondered why Shelby didn’t use her taser to subdue Crutcher but ultimately decided that she followed her “extensive training.”
Really?
“Some jurors “could never get comfortable” with saying Shelby was blameless in the death because it appeared she could have used a Taser in the moments before Crutcher reached into the vehicle, the letter said.
“However, there was no evidence presented that her extensive training allowed such an option,” the letter said. “The jury could not, beyond a reasonable doubt, conclude that she did anything outside of her duties and training as a police officer in that situation.”
SMH…are you even surprised that the jurors sided with Betty Shelby???
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