Video released in fatal police shooting of unarmed Tulsa man Terence Crutcher
The 40-year-old man can be seen with his hands in the air when he is shot.
New video footage released shows a black man who was fatally shot by a white police officer in Oklahoma was unarmed. Local and federal authorities are investigating the death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher.
"I'm going to tell you right now, there was no gun on the suspect or in the suspect's vehicle," Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said about the shooting which took place on Friday (16 September).
"I want to assure our community and I want to assure all of you and people across the nation watching this: We will achieve justice."
The Department of Justice will also conduct a separate civil rights investigation into the shooting, US Attorney Danny C Williams told reporters.
"The Justice Department is committed to investigating allegations of force by law enforcement officers and will devote whatever resources are necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are fully and completely investigated," Williams said.
Family members were shown dash cam recordings on Sunday (18 September) ahead of the public release.
Tulsa Police Sergeant Shane Tuell said: "We wanted them to see it before it was released so they wouldn't be blindsided by it," he said. "We wanted to be able to have that intimate time with them, with their attorney, to see if they had any questions or concerns."
Authorities on Monday (19 September) released video from three officers' dashcams and a police helicopter camera, as well as dispatch recordings, the New York Daily News reported.
"I've got a subject that won't show me his hands," a female officer can be heard saying in the dispatch recording.
Hands in the air
However, family members and community leaders who viewed the footage said it clearly shows Crutcher with his hands in the air when he was shot, the Associated Press reported.
"We saw that Terence did not have any weapon. Terence did not make any sudden movements. We saw that Terence was not being belligerent," family attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons in a separate news conference.
The AP reported that around a dozen protesters showed up outside the Tulsa County courthouse on Monday morning with signs that read, "This Stops Now" and "Not Going, Keep Protesting."
The police shooting happened after an officer stopped to investigate a vehicle in the middle of the road. Crutcher reportedly approached after the officers arrived but refused orders to put up his hands, police spokeswoman Jeanne MacKenzie said.
Two officers, identified as Betty Shelby and Tyler Turnbough, were involved. The AP reported that Shelby fired the fatal shot and Turnbrough used a stun gun. Shelby was placed on paid leave.
Crutcher's twin sister Tiffany Crutcher told the media she knows the footage of her brother's footage will lead to outrage but urged protesters to avoid violence, the Daily News reported.
She said: "Let's protest, let's do what we have to do, but let's do it peacefully, so we respect the culture of our family."
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