WARNING: This video is graphic and shows the shooting of a man. It is not suitable for all audiences.
TULSA, Okla. – Authorities in Tulsa released dashboard camera video on Monday of a deadly officer-involved shooting of a man this past weekend.
On Friday night, police say 40-year-old Terance Crutcher was shot and killed by a police officer near 36th St. North and Lewis.
Crutcher’s family told FOX 23 that his car stalled near the intersection.
Tulsa police say Crutcher’s vehicle was blocking traffic and that when officers arrived, he allegedly approached them and did not follow their commands.
After that, Officer Tyler Turnbough deployed his taser while Officer Betty Shelby shot Crutcher, who was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
On Monday, the Tulsa Police Department released dashcam and helicopter video of the shooting.
In the video, you see Crutcher walking away from an officer and toward his vehicle with his hands up. Several seconds later, four officers are around Crutcher, making it difficult to see what is going on.
About 25 seconds after Crutcher reached his vehicle, the video shows him falling to ground. A police officer is heard saying, “I think he may have just been tased” on the radio.
About two seconds later, Shelby is heard saying, “Shots fired.” At that point, paramedics are called to the scene.
Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said he found the video “very disturbing” and said that Crutcher did not have a gun on him or inside his vehicle.
“It will come out,” Jordan said, referencing the details of the shooting. “I will make this promise to you: We will achieve justice in this case.”
Authorities say an investigation has been launched into the shooting and whether or not Shelby will face charges.
TPD releases Helicopter Video: WARNING: This video is graphic and shows the shooting of a man. It is not suitable for all audiences. KFOR has edited this video because of the content.
According to the Tulsa World, the Department of Justice has also launched a separate investigation into the use of force and whether a federal civil rights violation occurred.
Tiffany Crutcher, Crutcher’s twin sister, said that her family is devastated by his death, adding that he was a loving father and son who sang in church every week.
According to the Associated Press, she is calling for charges to be filed against Shelby and asks for “peaceful protests” in the meantime.
Police say Shelby, who joined the department in 2011, has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
“These videos prove that the Tulsa Police Department’s initial claim that Terence Crutcher was refusing to put his hands in the air was a boldfaced lie, as were TPD’s statements about his transport and death at a local hospital. The videos are clear–Terence had his hands in the air, and posed no threat to those present–right up until one of the officers gunned him down, and then her four companions watched him bleed to death in the street, making no attempt to render aid.
As Terence’s family and community plead for peaceful protests and level heads, today’s promise of an independent federal investigation perhaps will bring some hope for peaceful resolution to a community that has been brutally betrayed by the people sworn to protect it. If this killing is investigated competently and fairly, I believe we will see murder or manslaughter charges against the shooter, and hopefully accessory charges against the officers who treated Terence Crutcher like a piece of meat rather than a human being. Their actions were immoral, reprehensible, and outright criminal. Putting Terence’s killer and her companions behind bars won’t bring Terrence back, but it is a necessary part of repairing the broken bond between police and communities of color, a rift that continues to claim lives,” said Brady Henderson, ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director.