The Tulsa, Okla., police officer who shot and killed Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black motorist, but was later acquitted of manslaughter in the controversial case will be allowed to return to the police force for active duty, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan announced Friday.
If your brain cannot process what is happening, welcome to the club. The privilege in that entire opening paragraph is suffocating.
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According to the Tulsa World, Jordan confirmed that Shelby will be returning to work, although she βwill not be assigned in a patrol capacity.β
I suppose that is meant to make us feel better ... or safer?
As the World notes, Tulsaβs chapter of Black Lives Matter had called for Shelby to be fired. A juror later published a statement to another Tulsa publication, The Frontier, claiming that the jury asked Jordan that Shelby not be allowed to patrol, the World notes.
According to News9, the juror said the stateβs prosecution βwas shoddyβ and that prosecutors could have secured a conviction of Shelby βhad they done a better job.β
βI donβt think sheβs a bad person,β the juror, who requested anonymity, said. βShe just shouldnβt be a cop.β
According to the Associated Press, Shelbyβs attorney Shannon McMurray said Thursday that she was unsure whether her client would even want to return to the Tulsa police force, because, the attorney said, it might be dangerous for Shelby to return to the streets.
βSheβs going to self-guess herself and get herself killed or somebody else,β McMurray said.
On Thursday morning, both Jordan and Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum hosted a news conference to discuss Shelbyβs not-guilty verdict in the manslaughter trial, according to the World.
At that time, Jordan acknowledged that Shelbyβs employment was being evaluated by the city and police legal and human resources departments.
βWe know weβve had failings,β Jordan said, emphasizing his departmentβs commitment to implement community policing. βWe understand that, and weβre committed absolutely to making a better relationship where we ensure trust and ensure cooperation in our community.β
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