Tulsa white police officer charged in death of black man
Prosecutors in the southern US city of Tulsa in Oklahoma have filed manslaughter charges against the white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man on a city street.
Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby shot and killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher after his SUV broke down on September 16.
Video footage of the fatal shooting incident and its aftermath showed the victim trying to walk away from the officer with his arms up in the air, appearing to comply with police officers and leaning against his car. The footage was recorded by dashboard cameras and a police helicopter. But despite this the man is shot by Shelby.
"We reviewed the facts of the allegations, it is our responsibility to determine if the filing of a criminal charge is justified under the law,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler told reporters Thursday.
He added that an arrest warrant was issued for Shelby, who joined the Tulsa Police Department in December 2011.
The officer was charged with a felony count of first-degree manslaughter.
The fatal shooting in Tulsa caused widespread protests in the state of Oklahoma. Protesters had demanded that the officer be punished.
Demonstrations in Tulsa have been peaceful unlike in Charlotte, North Carolina where the fatal police shooting death of a black man on Tuesday ignited two nights of violent protests.
On Wednesday night, the governor of North Carolina declared a state of emergency. "I have declared a State of Emergency & initiated efforts to deploy the Nat'l Guard & Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement in CLT," Governor Pat McCrory said.
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