Tulsa Police at a news conference Monday about the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher said he did not have a weapon on his person or in his vehicle.
The fatal shooting occurred after officers responding to an unrelated call spotted 40-year-old Crutcher’s vehicle stalled near 36th Street North and Lewis Avenue on Friday evening. Police have released few details of what happened, but a spokeswoman said Crutcher refused to follow officers’ commands in the moments before the shot was fired.
One officer, identified as Tyler Turnbough, deployed his Taser, and the second, Betty Shelby, discharged her weapon at Crutcher, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. Shelby was placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting.
Police video and audio of the shooting was released to the media following the news conference, a day after police showed it to the Crutcher family and a group of north Tulsa pastors and community leaders.
Chief Chuck Jordan said he found the video “very disturbing — very difficult to watch.”
He also explained some of the basic facts, including that no gun was found on Crutcher or in his vehicle. He did not elaborate because of what he called a pending criminal investigation.
“It will come out,” Jordan said of the details surrounding the fatal shooting. “I will make this promise to you: We will achieve justice in this case.”
An investigation will determine whether Shelby’s actions were justified, but authorities have not said how long that investigation is expected to last and whether charges are expected to be filed against Shelby depending on the determination of that probe.
“I want to assure our community, and I want to assure all of you and people across the nation who are going to be looking at this, we will achieve justice, period,” Jordan said.
District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said the case could result in criminal charges, but people must give the investigation time.
“We need to protect the integrity of the process,” he said of the limited release of details in the case. “While I recognize there is a desire to have a quick answer, that’s dependent on when I start getting reports.”
U.S. Attorney Danny Williams said the Department of Justice has opened a separate and independent civil rights investigation that will run parallel to the state’s probe and evaluate the officer’s use of force and determine whether a federal civil rights violation occurred.
“The Justice Department is committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers, and we will use whatever resources necessary,” Williams said.
City Councilor Jack Henderson said he believes in the openness of the police department and that nothing will be “swept under the rug.”