TULSA – The medical examiner and toxicology report of the man who was fatally shot by Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby was released on Tuesday.
Terence Crutcher, 40, was unarmed at the time Officer Shelby approached his vehicle on September 16. Crutcher's vehicle was reportedly having issues. He was fatally shot after, a TPD department spokesperson said, he refused to cooperate with orders.
Officer Shelby is now facing charges of first degree manslaughter. Shelby's lawyer, Scott Wood, said she was so focused on Crutcher that she didn't hear other officers near her before she fired her service weapon. Almost simultaneously, another officer fired a Taser at Crutcher as he moved toward his SUV.
Shelby, 42, has pleaded not guilty. She faces between four years to life in prison if convicted.
In the toxicology report, while Crutcher tested negative for ethyl alcohol, his body did test positive for phencyclidine or PCP. According to AP, PCP or Angel Dust can induce euphoria and feelings of omnipotence, as per medical literature, and also notes that it can lead to "combativeness-agitation," mania and depression.
SPECIAL SECTION: The fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher
Shelby's attorney held a press conference Tuesday following the release of the report. “I felt confident then, and I feel confident now, as the investigation unfolds and evidence continues to be released, it will reveal and support that Officer Shelby was justified in her use of force on September 16," said attorney Shannon McMurray.
Following the release, the Crutcher family attorneys also released a statement. Read the full statement below.
“The medical examiner’s report of PCP in Terence Crutcher's system is unfortunate. However, today's toxicology report does not change the most pertinent facts of this tragedy: Officer Betty Shelby shot and killed Terence Crutcher who was, unarmed and had his hands up, without provocation or justification and she should be held accountable for her unlawful actions.
Furthermore, Terence was so much more than this issue, including being a devoted father, a college student, and a great gospel singer, and was working hard to better his life and the life of his beloved children when he was gunned down on his way home from class.
Lastly, please continue to pray for the Crutcher family as they seek peace, understanding, and justice in the wake of Terence’s untimely death.”
The medical examiner’s report reasserted that Crutcher’s death was a homicide and that he died as a result of a gunshot wound to his chest.
According to the report, the laceration started on Crutcher’s right lateral chest area and there was no exit wound. It went on to mention that blood was found in the chest cavities but no “excess fluid or air in the abdominal cavity.”
Click the picture below to read the entire reports.
The ACLU sent a statement saying “Initial reports that Terence Crutcher had PCP in his system are completely irrelevant to the question ‘should Terence Crutcher be alive today?’ These findings are the product of weeks long testing and examination by medical professionals. To say that anyone on that scene could have drawn this conclusion or that such a conclusion would justify lethal force is utterly ridiculous and disingenuous. Drug possession and drug use do not now, nor should they ever, justify summary execution. No doubt there will be those who will seize upon this news to justify the killing of Terence Crutcher. Make no mistake about it--those who would attempt to justify his killing on the basis of this finding are engaging in the sort of behavior that dehumanized Terence Crutcher; behavior that ultimately led to his death on the streets of Tulsa and instills genuine fear in the hearts of people of color across our nation. Even though it is irrelevant to the use of lethal force, it is worth noting that these findings do not tell us whether or not Terence Crutcher was under the influence of PCP at the time of this encounter. Testing positive to a substance in your system is very different than being under the influence of a substance, though again neither justify the government gunning someone down in the street. We encourage the public, the media, and law enforcement to resist the temptation to seize upon this all too convenient practice of character assassination in an attempt to divert attention away from meaningful responses to the systematic violence and dehumanization that is far too common in interactions between law enforcement and communities of color. These findings in no way change the tragic fact that Terence Crutcher should be alive and with his family today.”
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