US police officer Betty Shelby is now claiming she was temporarily deaf while shooting and killing a harmless father of four children Terence Crutcher and pleads not guilty for manslaughter
Betty Shelby, was charged with first degree manslaughter at
the end of last week. It's a rare sighting to see such a quick turn
around in the death of an unarmed black man, as we've seen many other
officers get away with murder, basically, further fueling the Black
Lives Matter movement, rightly so.
Shelby turned herself in the following day, and
now her lawyer is speaking up in defense of his client.
The Tulsa
officer just plead not guilty to the charge brought against her at her
arraignment this morning, which lasted only moments.
Her
lawyer, Scott Wood, is claiming that Shelby experienced "auditory
exclusion" during the shooting of Terence Crutcher. It's a condition
that can result in a high-stress situation, and basically means you go
temporarily deaf.
"She didn’t hear the gunshot, didn’t hear the
sirens coming up behind her just prior to the shot," Wood said on
Thursday. "And it’s not only a common phenomenon described in
literature, but it’s the No. 1 perceptual distortion by people I have
represented who have been involved in shootings - diminished sound or
complete auditory exclusion."
Shelby told investigators that
Crutcher refused to get on his knees despite multiple requests, and that
she feared for her life and thought Crutcher was going to kill her;
this according to an affidavit.
Shelby faces between four years
and life in prison if convicted. She was released on $50,000 bond last
week. We'll keep you posted on this case
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