FOLLOW US

Wed

August 5, 2026

America December 18, 2024 5 mins read

Jury acquits Tulsa officer in shooting of unarmed black man

America ı By USA Herald

0 Comments

Free

USA Herald Opinion:   after watching the 60 Minutes episode on this case, it is clear that Officer Shelby used deadly force because the "unarmed black man" was reaching in his vehicle for what could have easily been a gun.  The man was on meth. and had clearly refused orders to remain still after his car was parked in the middle of the street.   The officer used deadly force rightfully so, and while it is tragic, had we been in her shoes we would have done the same:

  • Car parked in the middle of the street.
  • Large black man on drugs that was twice the female officers size.
  • Total refusal to remain still even with the threat of deadly force.
  • Man reached into vehicle, again with the threat of deadly force to attempt to stop him.

Here's the full story, but note that when you take the entire situation into account it is clear that the officer was right to use deadly force:
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A jury on Wednesday acquitted a white Oklahoma police officer who says she fired out of fear last year when she killed an unarmed black man with his hands held above his head.

The family of Terence Crutcher burst into tears and expressed outrage after jurors found Tulsa officer Betty Jo Shelby not guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the Sept. 16 shooting. About 100 demonstrators later gathered outside the courthouse and some briefly blocked a main street.

“Let it be known that I believe in my heart that Betty Shelby got away with murder,” Crutcher’s father, the Rev. Joey Crutcher, said after the verdict was announced.

A lawyer for Shelby said the officer was “elated” that the jury found her not guilty.

“She’s ready to get back to her life,” defense attorney Shannon McMurray said.

Shelby looked stone-faced when the verdict was read, but Crutcher’s family was quickly ushered out of the courtroom sobbing and wailing.

At least four of the 12 jurors were crying as they left the courtroom and they did not look at either the family of Crutcher or Shelby. The jury comprised eight women and four men and included three African-Americans.

Shelby testified that she fired her weapon out of fear because she said Crutcher didn’t obey her commands to lie on the ground and appeared to reach inside his SUV for what she thought was a gun. Crutcher was unarmed.

Prosecutors told jurors that Shelby overreacted. They noted Crutcher had his hands in the air and wasn’t combative — part of which was confirmed by police video taken from a dashboard camera and helicopter that showed Crutcher walking away from Shelby, hands held above his head.

Shelby’s attorneys argued that in the two minutes before cameras began recording the encounter, Shelby repeatedly ordered Crutcher to stop walking away from her and get on the ground.

Shelby also said she feared Crutcher was under the influence of PCP, a powerful hallucinogenic known as Angel Dust that makes users erratic, unpredictable and combative.

An autopsy showed PCP was in Crutcher’s system, and police said they found a vial of it in his SUV.

Crutcher’s family said police attempted to “demonize” Crutcher over the drug possession to deflect attention from the fact officers didn’t find a gun inside his SUV.

The killing of 40-year-old Crutcher was among a spate of officer-involved shootings in recent years that helped galvanize the Black Lives Matter movement and prompted calls for more police accountability.

About 100 demonstrators gathered in a plaza outside the courthouse Wednesday evening to protest the verdict. They chanted: “No justice, no peace. No racist police.” A smaller group later briefly blocked a major downtown road but dispersed peacefully. Police kept a relatively low profile, standing about a block away.

Marq Lewis, organizer of the local civil rights group We The People Oklahoma, said the verdict was a blow to Tulsa’s black community.

“When is it going to stop — just officer-related shootings? When will the police change policy?” he asked.

Tulsa has a long history of troubled race relations dating back to a 1921 race riot that left about 300 black residents dead. In 2015, a poorly trained white volunteer deputy, Robert Bates, shot and killed a black man after Bates said he mistakenly reached for his gun rather than a Taser. The shooting led to the departure of the sheriff.

A Tulsa jury convicted the then-74-year-old Bates of second-degree manslaughter and he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Mayor G.T. Bynum said he respected the jury’s decision in the Shelby case and called for more resources to implement community policing in the city.

“This verdict does not alter the course on which we are adamantly set,” he said. “It does not change our recognition of the racial disparities that have afflicted Tulsa historically. It does not change our work to institute community policing measures that empower citizens to work side by side with police officers in making our community safer.”

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler charged Shelby six days after Crutcher was killed. An affidavit accused her of “becoming emotionally involved to the point that she overreacted.”

Defense attorney McMurray argued that prosecutors rushed to charge Shelby for political reasons, fearing civil unrest like the angry street protests that erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott four days after Crutcher was killed. But the reaction in Tulsa was more muted, with protests but no violence.

Previous Article

Supreme Court to Review TikTok Sale-Or-Ban Law

Read More
348 Posts

USA Herald

We are The People’s Media. USA Herald covers breaking news, politics, and investigative journalism. For anonymous tips please contact Support AT usaherald.com.

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to join the discussion!

Don’t Miss It
America August 04, 2026
Donald Trump criticizes Jeanine Pirro in Reflecting Pool case
By – Rihem Akkouche
High Profile Court Cases August 04, 2026
Andrew Tate Extradition: Why Miami, and Why Now?
By – Rochdi Rais
High Profile Court Cases August 03, 2026
Who Actually Decides If Andrew Tate Is Extradited? Explained
By – Rochdi Rais
Arizona January 11, 2025
Kelly Warner Law Firm Blames USA…

In what appears as a desperate attempt to defend multiple…

By – USA Herald
Arizona January 4, 2025
Aaron Kelly Law Firm Resorts To…

Attorney Aaron Kelly and his law partner Daniel Warner are…

By – Jeff Watterson
Arizona December 12, 2024
Arizona Bar Opens Investigation on Attorney…

USA Herald recently reported on a developing story involving Attorneys…

By – Paul O'Neal
High Profile Court Cases August 3, 2026
Ten Days: What Happens to the…

Two men sit in a federal cell in Miami while…

By – Rochdi Rais
America August 2, 2026
Key Evidence Claims in Bryan Kohberger…

The latest claims surrounding key evidence in the Bryan Kohberger…

By – Jackie Allen
America August 2, 2026
Iran’s Alien Files? Tehran’s U.S. Conspiracy…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Iranian media once promoted an extraordinary claim…

By – Samuel Lopez
America August 1, 2026
JK Rowling Wins Apology After Amnesty…

JK Rowling has received a public apology from Amnesty International…

By – Jackie Allen
America August 1, 2026
Mail Carrier Accused of Pocketing Stranger’s…

Imagine mailing off a winning lottery ticket, then watching days…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America August 1, 2026
Westinghouse Electric Files for IPO

Some companies chase the spotlight. Westinghouse Electric Company, it seems,…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America August 1, 2026
Westinghouse Electric Files for IPO

Some companies chase the spotlight. Westinghouse Electric Company, it seems,…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America August 1, 2026
Stormed the Border: Spain Says 25,000…

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Spanish authorities say thousands of migrants…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 31, 2026
Curiosity Rover Finds Vast Martian Honeycomb…

NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered an extraordinary expanse of honeycomb-like…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 31, 2026
Kean University Hit With Class Claims…

Kean University failed to put even basic cybersecurity protections in…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 31, 2026
Space-Eyes to Go Public in $638…

Eric Trump-backed space technology firm Space-Eyes Inc. announced Friday that…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 31, 2026
Trump Cabinet Meeting at Camp David…

President Donald Trump swapped the usual White House setting for…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 30, 2026
Amish Community Murder: Ohio Man Pleads…

An Amish Community murder case which stunned Ohio has ended…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 30, 2026
E. Jean Carroll Case: Trump Asks…

President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 29, 2026
Netflix Releases The Idaho Murders: College…

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is a…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 28, 2026
Lindsey Graham Remembered by Trump as…

 WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump remembered Lindsey Graham as a…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 28, 2026
5 of the Best Free-to-Read Online…

Online Comic Books have changed the way readers discover superheroes,…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 27, 2026
Hiring Increase as U.S. Companies Recalibrate…

A surprising Hiring Increase is emerging at some of America’s…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 27, 2026
Hiring Increase as U.S. Companies Recalibrate…

A surprising Hiring Increase is emerging at some of America’s…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 26, 2026
Kacy Corso Pleads in the Stony…

Kacy Corso, 34, of East Setauket, pleaded guilty in July…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 26, 2026
Kaylee Hottle Dies at 18 After…

Kaylee Hottle, a rising deaf actress celebrated for her breakthrough…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 25, 2026
Human Trafficking Operation Nets 15 Arrests,…

SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. — A human trafficking operation in north…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 25, 2026
Lululemon Murder: Part II — Forensic…

Editor’s Note: This is Part II of an ongoing series…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 24, 2026
Lululemon Murder: Brutal Killing of Jayna…

More than 15 years after a young retail manager was…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 31, 2026
Sainsbury to Sell Argos for £120m…

Sainsbury’s has finally reached the finish line on something it’s…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 30, 2026
Show Me the Money: Accuser in…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza is pushing Kick to…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Kohberger Gets New Taxpayer-Funded Lawyer as…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Kohberger has been appointed counsel for post-conviction…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Milwaukee Lawyer Gets 21 Years After…

INSIDE THIS REPORT — A Milwaukee jury convicted attorney Robert L.…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
AI-Assisted Pro Se Litigant Faces Off…

INSIDE THIS REPORT A pro se plaintiff using AI tools…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Insurer Moves to Block $10M Punitive-Damages…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Twin City Fire Insurance seeks a ruling…

By – Samuel Lopez
Breaking News July 29, 2026
Trump Ends Medicare Part D Subsidy,…

The Trump administration is ending a Medicare Part D subsidy…

By – Michallie Harrison
Health July 17, 2026
Taylor Farms Linked to Third Major…

Taco Bell became the public face of a massive Cyclospora…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 4, 2026
Beach Closures Expand Across Long Island…

Beach Closures were spread across parts of New York just…

By – Jackie Allen
Health July 2, 2026
The Hidden Science Behind Why Your…

For millions of people, the first conscious act of the…

By – Tyler Brooks
Health July 2, 2026
The High Cost of the Infinite…

A significant legal chapter is closing for one of the…

By – Tyler Brooks
Health July 2, 2026
Kentucky Medicaid Alert How The Upcoming…

A significant change is arriving for thousands of Kentucky residents…

By – Tyler Brooks
Sports July 31, 2026
FIFA World Cup Stake Sale Sparks…

The proposed FIFA World Cup stake sale has triggered a…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 25, 2026
Adrien Broner Hit With Sexual Battery…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Havana Saint accuses Adrien Broner of sexual…

By – Samuel Lopez
Sports July 22, 2026
Why the Hungarian Grand Prix Never…

The lights go out and twenty-two Formula 1 cars explode…

By – Theresa Jardim
America July 21, 2026
Professional Boxer Killed in Texas Bicycle…

Hannah Rapp, a rising professional boxer who recently challenged for…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 20, 2026
Hannah Rapp Dies at 26 After…

 Hannah Rapp, a rising professional boxer who earned a shot…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 19, 2026
World Cup Thriller: England Outlasts France…

World Cup history gained another unforgettable chapter Saturday as England…

By – Jackie Allen

No posts found.

No posts found.

Signup for the USA Herald
exclusive Newsletter