BETTY SHELBY, THE POLICE OFFICER WHO FACED TRIAL AFTER THE
SHOOTING DEATH OF TERRENCE CRUTCHER RESIGNED FROM THE
TULSA, OKLAHOMA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEN
ACTUALLY ENDED UP GETTING HIRED IN THE NEXT TOWN OVER,
NEIGHBORING ROGERS COUNTY.
THE SHERIFF THERE, SCOTT WALTON, HAS BEEN A VERY SUPPORTIVE
PERSON TOWARD SHELBY, HAS BEEN A FAN OF HER, AND FOR THOSE
OF YOU WHO ARE UNSURE OF WHICH POLICE SHOOTING WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT, THIS WAS THE ONE THAT TOOK PLACE LAST YEAR
AND IT INVOLVED TERRENCE CRUTCHER WHO WAS SEEN ON
SURVEILLANCE WITH HIS HANDS UP PRIOR TO BETTY SHELBY SHOOTING
HIM.
WE ARE GOING TO SHOW THAT SURVEILLANCE RIGHT NOW.
IT'S HARD TO WATCH, SO I WANT TO GIVE YOU THAT WARNING.
WITH THAT SAID, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
HE HAS HIS HANDS UP THERE FOR HER NOW.
THIS GUY IS STILL WALKING.
HE ISN'T FOLLOWING COMMANDS.
TIME FOR A TASER, I THINK.
I HAVE A FEELING THAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
THAT LOOKS LIKE A BAD DUDE, TOO.
COULD BE ON SOMETHING.
WHICH WAY ARE THEY FACING?
WESTBOUND.
I THINK HE MAY HAVE JUST BEEN TASERED.
SHOTS FIRED.
SHE DID FACE TRIAL FOR THAT SHOOTING, AND SHE WAS ACQUITTED.
EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS STILL EMPLOYED WITH THE TULSA POLICE
DEPARTMENT, SHE FELT SHE WAS ISOLATED FROM OTHER LAW
ENFORCEMENT THERE, SO SHE DECIDED TO RESIGN.
AFTER SHE RESIGNED, SHE DID GET HIRED BY ROGERS COUNTY.
SO THE JURY ACQUITTED HER, BUT ALL 12
OF THEM SAID THAT SHE SHOULD NOT BE A POLICE OFFICER.
THAT IS THEIR OPINION, AND WHAT MATTERS IS THE ACQUITTAL, BUT
ONE JUROR WAS QUOTED AS SAYING, "LOOK, I DON'T KNOW SHE'S A BAD
PERSON, BUT I KNOW SHE SHOULD NOT BE A COP," AND THE
NEIGHBORING
COUNTY, ROGERS COUNTY WAS LIKE, NO.
YOU ALL SAW THE
EVIDENCE AGAINST HER, AND DON'T THINK SHE SHOULD BE A COP?
I DON'T SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.
THE SHERIFF OF THAT COUNTY WAS A FORMER TULSA POLICE
DEPARTMENT WHO'D SUPPORTED HER ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
SHE TESTIFIED THAT SHE WAS SCARED BECAUSE HE APPEARED
TO BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS.
OH GOOD, EXECUTE HIM THEM.
I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK AND ADJUDICATE THIS CASE
BECAUSE WE'VE DONE IT 1 BILLION TIMES BEFORE, BUT WHAT I DO
WANT TO SAY IS, LOOK, THIS IS NOT A DIFFERENT STATE.
THIS IS LITERALLY THE NEIGHBORING COUNTY AND THIS
WAS A VERY HIGH PROFILE CASE.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE A POLICE OFFICER WHO HAS SOME
LEVEL OF TRUST WITHIN THE COMMUNITY -
IT DEPENDS ON WHICH COMMUNITY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
THIS SHERIFF, SCOTT WALTON, MAYBE HE'S FRIENDS WITH HER AND
MAYBE HE THINKS I WANT TO SUPPORT A FELLOW COP THAT I USED
TO SERVE WITH IN TULSA, AND THAT IS BEING WAY OVERLY
GENEROUS TO HIM.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS REAL MOTIVATION IS BUT THE
MESSAGE THAT HE IS SENDING IS IF YOU ARE A BLACK PERSON IN MY
COUNTY, AND YOU HAVE YOUR HANDS UP, WE WILL KILL YOU ANYWAY.
I JUST HIRED THE PERSON WHO KILLED THE BLACK GUY WHO HAD NO
WEAPONS ON THEM, HIS HANDS UP, AND I REWARDED HER.
I GAVE HER A JOB, A SALARY, A JURY OF HER PEERS SAY SHE SHOULD
NEVER BE A COP AGAIN AND I IGNORED THAT.
WHETHER YOU LIKED WHAT SHE DID OR NOT, BY HIRING HER,
YOU'VE SENT A MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT I AM REWARDING
WHAT SHE DID.
IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY COMMUNITY.
HE DOESN'T VIEW BLACKS IN THAT AREA AS HIS COMMUNITY.
HE VIEWS WHITES AS HIS COMMUNITY.
YOU CAN SAY, CENK, YOU CAN'T READ HIS MIND.
I CAN READ HIS ACTIONS.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND ALL
THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE SERVING IN YOUR COMMUNITY, WOULD
YOU HIRE SOMEONE WHO CLEARLY IN BROAD DAYLIGHT SHOT SOMEONE
WHO HAD THEIR HANDS UP AND WHO DID NOT HAVE A WEAPON?
AGAIN, AT A BARE MINIMUM, GROSS NEGLIGENCE.
IF SHE HAD SHOT THE LOCAL MAYOR OR A JUDGE OR A LOCAL
BUSINESSMAN, THE GUY WHO RUNS THE USED CAR DEALERSHIP OR
WHATEVER, HE HAS HIS HANDS UP.
AND SHE'S LIKE WHATEVER, I'M, HE'S A BIG GUY WITH THE
BEARD, SHOOT HIM, KILL HIM DEAD.
YOU THINK THIS GUY GOES GOOD JOB.
WAY TO KILL THE MAYOR.
I AM GOING TO HIRE YOU.
BOB DOWN THE STREET WHO WOULD GO TO CHURCH WITH, THE
CARDIOID GUY, YOU KILLED THEM EVEN THOUGH HE HAD HIS HANDS UP?
GREAT JOB, I'M GOING TO HIRE YOU.
HE'S GOING TO DO THAT.
HE IS SENDING A MESSAGE THAT IF YOU KILL AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WITH HIS HANDS UP IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THOUGH THAT I DON'T THINK WHITE MEMBERS
OF THE COMMUNITY ARE SAFE FROM THIS TYPE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE
EITHER AND LOOK, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS PARTICULAR SURFACE
THINKING OR WHAT IS GOING THROUGH HIS MIND, BUT IT IS NOT
JUST BLACK MEMBERS OF COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN
IN MY OPINION UNJUSTLY SHOT AND KILLED.
THERE BEEN A NUMBER OF WHITE PEOPLE, EVEN THOUGH IT
DISPROPORTIONALLY DOES IMPACT THE BY COMMUNITY.
THE IMPACT IS A NEW LEGAL IN THE SAME DIRECTION THOUGH
I WANT TO BECOME ABOUT THAT, DISPROPORTIONATELY IT
IMPACTS THE BY COMMUNITY, HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN CASES
ABOUT ARMED WHY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SHOT AND KILLED BY COPS AS
WELL AND THE COPS STILL GET THE SUPPORT FROM THEIR PEERS.
THEY STILL MAKE EXCUSES FOR THEM AND SO NO ONE, REGARDLESS
OF WHAT YOUR RACE OR BACKGROUND IT WONíT NECESSARILY STOP IT FROM
THIS HAPPENING TO THEM.
I REALLY WANT TO GET THAT THROUGH PEOPLE'S MINDS.
I HEAR YOU.
IT WAY DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS
AFRICAN AMERICANS, BUT THERE WAS A LADY IN THE PAJAMAS,
HUNDREDS OF CASES OF IT HAPPENING TO WHITE PEOPLE TOO.
IF YOU WERE IN ROGERS COUNTY AND SHE IS A COP THERE NOW, IF
YOU HAVE YOUR HANDS UP, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
TO BE FAIR, HE WAS NOT LISTENING PERFECTLY TO HER ORDERS.
IF YOU DON'T LISTEN EXACTLY TO EVERY WORD THEY SAY, THAT
APPARENTLY COULD BE CAUSE FOR EXECUTION AND THE SHERIFF
THINKS THAT IS A GOOD JOB AND WANTS TO REWARD THAT THE
EVEN THE GUYS IN THE COPTER WHO DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING
WERE LIKE HE LOOKS LIKE A BAD DUDE.
THAT'S WHY IT IS RACIAL.
OF COURSE.
COME ON.
THAT IS AS TELLING TO ME AS THE SHOTS BEING
FIRED.
EVEN THE GUYS IN THE HELICOPTER WHO MADE THAT
RACIAL ASSUMPTION, DOESN'T MEAN BY THE WAY THAT THEY ARE
MALICIOUSLY RACIST AND PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
THEIR STEREOTYPES AND THEY MAY NOT REALIZE THEY HAVE IN
THE BACK OF THEIR HEADS THEY JUST SET IT.
WHAT IS HE LOOK LIKE A BAD DUDE?
IT TURNS OUT HE WASN'T THAT HE WAS AN INNOCENT CIVILIAN
WHO HAPPENED TO BE A LARGE AFRICAN-AMERICAN GUY.
BUT EVEN THEY WERE LIKE TIME TO TASER HIM.
LOOKS LIKE THEY JUST TAZED HIM.
OBVIOUSLY, THEY WERE NOT EXPECTING THAT THE GUY WOULD GET
SHOT BUT DON'T WORRY, THE PERSON WHO DID SHOOT HIM NOW ON THE
FORCE IN ROGERS COUNTY
ABOUT PROTECTING THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ROGERS COUNTY.
IF YOU ARE ANYWHERE NEAR THERE, WATCH OUT.
ONE SUPER LAST THING, THE JURY DID WHAT THEY DID AND SHE IS
ACQUITTED THAT SHE GETS TO GO BACK INTO REGULAR LIFE.
SHE COULD GO BE A FURNITURE SALESMAN OR WORK AT MCDONALD'S.
SHE COULD BE AN EXECUTIVE OR WORK FOR A PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANY.
SHE SHOULDN'T BE A COP.
WE'RE NOT SAYING HER LIFE SHOULD END, SHE IS NOT EVEN GOING
TO JAIL THE
WHAT WAS YOUR OLD MANTRA
THE BOUNDS OF REASON.
EXACTLY.
ALL WE ARE SAYING IS THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT JOB FOR HER.
THAT CANNOT BE AN UNREASONABLE DEMAND.