Tulsa Officer Betty Shelby takes the stand: 'If you delay, then you die,' she says training taught h
Source: Tulsa World
Officer Betty Shelby takes the stand: 'If you delay, then you die,' she says training taught her
By Samantha Vicent Tulsa World
7 hrs ago
Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby took the stand Monday morning in her manslaughter trial in the death of Terence Crutcher, which followed an additional round of tense testimony from the lead Tulsa Police homicide sergeant and two officers who were present when Crutcher was arrested in the past.
The questions to Shelby, 43, from defense attorney Shannon McMurray have yet to address the circumstances of the Sept. 16 death of Crutcher, 40, in the 2300 block of East 36th Street North. But Shelby has spoken of training videos she's seen about similar situations in which she's observed suspects act dangerously, which she said flashed in her mind when she encountered Crutcher and his SUV in the intersection.
"I'm told in my training that you don't let them pull their arm back out," Shelby said, referencing the open window of a vehicle. She earlier told McMurray that the videos showed her that if suspects are allowed to reach into their vehicles, "they can pull out guns and kill you," which is why deadly force can be warranted.
"If you hesitate and delay, then you die," she said. When McMurray referenced how Shelby saw Crutcher at the intersection, she said, "It impacted me so much that I saw the (training) video in my head during that situation."
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