TULSA, Okla. (AP) — There is insufficient evidence to pursue federal civil rights charges against a white former Tulsa police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man, the Department of Justice said Friday.
U.S. Attorney Trent Shores announced the closure of the investigation into whether Betty Shelby willfully used unreasonable force against Terence Crutcher when she shot and killed him in September 2016.
FILE – In this Wednesday, May 17, 2017 file photo, Betty Shelby leaves the courtroom with her husband, Dave Shelby, right, after the jury in her case began deliberations in Tulsa, Okla. The Department of Justice says there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal civil rights charges against the white former Tulsa police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man. U.S. Attorney Trent Shores on Friday, March 1, 2019, announced the closure of the federal investigation into whether ex-Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby willfully used unreasonable force against Terence Crutcher when she shot and killed him in September 2016. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
“The Department of Justice devoted significant resources to this investigation to ensure that a thorough review was undertaken. Attorneys from both the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office worked closely with the FBI to examine the evidence and review applicable law,” Shores said in a statement.
A Tulsa County jury acquitted Shelby in May 2017 in the shooting death of Crutcher, who was holding his hands above his head when he was shot. Shelby testified she fired her weapon out of fear because Crutcher didn’t obey her commands and appeared to reach inside his SUV for what she thought was a gun. Crutcher was unarmed.
Attorneys for Crutcher’s family haven’t returned messages left Friday.
Shelby resigned from the Tulsa Police Department following her acquittal.
A federal lawsuit filed by Crutcher’s family against the City of Tulsa and Shelby still is pending in federal court.
Shores said a team that included some of the department’s most experienced prosecutors and FBI agents examined all of the evidence in the case, including enhanced video footage of the shooting. The investigation aimed to determine whether Shelby willfully violated federal law, which Shores said required prosecutors to determine that Shelby acted with the “deliberate and specific intent” to do something illegal.
“Any allegation of law enforcement misconduct and willful deprivation of civil rights is taken seriously,” Shores said. “However, the evidence in this case did not support pursuing criminal prosecution.”
Crutcher’s killing 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.
