This past Friday evening the
paths of a Tulsa police officer and an unarmed black man crossed. A short time later, Terence Crutcher was
transformed. He was no longer a stalled
motorist seeking help on a Friday night in Oklahoma. No, he was the latest member of one of the
most ill fated clubs of all, an unarmed black man, killed by a police officer.
The result was another
absolutely harrowing, totally inconsolable and irreparable, yet all too
familiar consequence. Most of us have
had life altering experiences. Mr.
Crutcher, abruptly and I’m fairly certain, unexpectedly, faced the ultimate, a
life-ending encounter. Experiences such
as his are at the crux of one of our most volatile contemporary national
conversations. Similar experiences
spawned the Black Lives Matter Movement (#BLM), which in turn served as a
catalyst for the Blue Lives Matter Countermovement, which led, indirectly, to
the Colin Kaepernick inspired “Not standing for the National Anthem” protests.
This story, like each of
those that preceded it, has it’s own specific details. Moreover, every person’s life is indubitably
unique and demands its particular solemnity.
Yet, it must be said, this tale is merely the next sequence in a
continuing saga; a sorrowfully pathetic narrative that we should all find
offensive.
So what happened to
Terence? Here’s what we know. Allow me to fast forward and start from the
end. A police officer feared for her
life. That most often really is the end
of the story. While we do not yet know
what the final determination will be, as it relates to this particular
installment, we do know that magic phrase is very often a get out/stay out of
jail card on par with Dorothy clicking her heels three times and riffing
“No place like home, no place like home, no place like home.”
I will not regale you with
all the details; here are a few of the pertinent ones as reported by ABC News:
1. Police received a call regarding a stalled vehicle.
2. The responding officers did not know whether the driver
was armed.
3. Mr. Crutcher’s most recent court records were for
traffic violations over 10 years ago.
4. Since 2007, Tulsa’s officers have been involved in 24
fatal shootings (according to the newspaper Tulsa
World).
5. Officer Betty Shelby, whom police say shot Crutcher,
was one of several officers on the scene with guns drawn.
6. Scott Wood, Officer Shelby’s attorney, said the
officer “believed” Crutcher was armed when she shot him.
7. Officer Shelby’s husband, also a Tulsa police
officer, was above the scene in a helicopter, a fact police deemed "a happenstance."
8. Chief Chuck Jordan called the
shooting "very
difficult to watch" and has sought an investigation by the U.S. Department
of Justice.
9. Police spokesperson Jeannie Mackenzie
told reporters Mr. Crutcher “refused to follow commands given by the
officers.” She added, “They continued to
talk to him. He continued not to listen
and follow any commands. As they got
closer to the vehicle, he reached inside the vehicle and at that time there was
a Taser deployment, and a short time lather there was one shot fired.”
10. Officer Tyler Turnbough, also white,
used a stun gun on Mr. Crutcher. It is
unclear why one officer drew a stun gun while another drew a handgun against an
unarmed man. It also remains unexplained
why Mr. Crutcher was considered a threat to multiple officers.
Video and
audio documentation related to the events leading to Mr. Crutcher’s death were
released Monday. Prior to releasing that
information, Chief Jordan announced that Mr. Crutcher had no weapon, neither on
his person, nor in his vehicle.
The best of
the video, taken from a helicopter above the scene, shows Mr. Crutcher walking
to ward his vehicle with his hands in the air.
When he reached the vehicle, he placed his hands on top of his SUV. Dashcam video also appears to corroborates
his hands were on top of the SUV. Based
on the audio recording, a voice from the helicopter says, “Time for a Taser.”
Another voice
can be heard saying, “That looks like a bad dude too. Probably on something.”
The video doe not
appear to show what might have validated those perceptions. I will decline to speculate whether any of
those voices, or the views that accompanied them, came from Officer Shelby’s
husband, who as mentioned earlier, was in the helicopter.
What the video
does show is that there were three officers standing in a line behind Crutcher,
and at least one more standing several feet behind them. As the tape rolls, Mr. Crutcher can be seen
falling to the pavement. As blood pools
around his body, approximately two minutes appear to pass prior to anyone
checking on him.
Danny Williams,
a U.S. Attorney indicates there will be a Department of Justice civil rights investigation
of the shooting, separate and apart from that conducted by local
authorities. He noted:
“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.”
Looked at from
a variety of angles, and from different cameras, of course, the video appears
to show the same disturbing fact pattern.
“Yet another” unarmed black man walks down a road, this time in Tulsa,
with his hands in the air. Police follow
behind him closely until he reaches his vehicle, where he stands
momentarily. Then, he falls to the
ground after one of the officers pulls the trigger.
As for Attorney Wood’s
assertion that Officer Shelby feared Mr. Crutcher was reaching for a gun inside
the car, Benjamin Crump, a member of the Crutcher family’s legal team, observed
at a news conference that, “the vehicle window was rolled up…making it highly
unlikely he was reaching into the vehicle.”
This story will continue to
unfold for some time. The details vary
from incident to incident, for sure, but the theme is worth noting, and
repeating. Today we observe, in
respectful repose, “Tragedy in Tulsa…This Time!” It’s the “this time” that serves as a not
subtle at all reminder, #BLM!
I’m done; holla back!
PS. While I was writing this
post, a police shooting and immediate fallout were unfolding here in my own
City, CLT. It was tempting to switch
horses in midstream and write a hometown story.
However, the Tulsa story was further developed, and more facts were
immediately available. I will say, pray
for Charlotte. You can check for details
here:
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