Betty Shelby, Tulsa Officer Charged With Manslaughter of Terence Crutcher, Released on Bond

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler filed charges Thursday against Betty Shelby, the cop who was recorded on video fatally shooting Terence Crutcher, a black man whose car was stopped in the middle of the road last Friday.

Shelby, who is white, was charged with first-degree manslaughter. According to jail records, Shelby turned herself in early Friday morning and was released just 20 minutes later after posting a $50,000 bond.

Two separate videos, one from a helicopter and one from a dashcam, show Crutcher walking over to his car with his hands up as the police approach. He then falls to the ground. According to the police, he was Tasered by officer Tyler Turnbough and shot by Shelby.

“Although she is charged, she is presumed innocent until a judge or jury determines otherwise,” Kunzweiler said at the press conference Thursday when he announced the charges against Shelby. “I don’t know why things happen in this world the way they do.”

Crutcher's death occurred just days before that of Keith Scott, whose death at the hands of police in Charlotte, North Carolina, led to violent protests.

"I pray this decision provides some peace to the Crutcher family and the people of Tulsa, but we must remain patient as the case works its way through the justice system, where a jury will likely be asked to decide whether officer Better Shelby is guilty of the crime," said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin in a statement released in response to the charges.

In a statement to the press, Crutcher's family said, "Today, we are thankful to TPD and Chief Jordan for providing info and happy charges were brought."

A protester outside the courthouse held a "Black Lives Matter" sign:

According to Shelby, Crutcher was refusing to comply with police commands and was reaching in the window of his car when she shot him. But attorneys for Crutcher's family argue that police footage shows that the car window was rolled up, and the videos do not show Crutcher being disorderly.

The police have confirmed that Crutcher did not have a gun in his possession at the time of the shooting.

Benjamin L. Crump, who represented Michael Brown's relatives after he was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, is one of the lawyers representing Crutcher's family in this case.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has announced that the federal government is looking into Crutcher's death.

“On Monday the Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma,” she said. “As always, the Justice Department will be thorough, impartial and exhaustive in reaching a determination about this incident.”

Image via Tulsa County Jail