Video released by law enforcement on Monday shows police officers in Tulsa, Oklahoma fatally shooting an unarmed black man whose car was stalled in the middle of the street.
Police originally claimed that 40-year-old Terence Crutcher was not cooperating with officers when they arrived for a routine traffic stop on Friday night. They claimed that he would not raise his hands in the air when instructed to.
Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby called dispatch saying Mr Crutcher was not complying before fatally shooting him at the scene. Officer Tyler Turnbough also fired his Taser and the entire confrontation was recorded via dashcam.
However, in the video, Mr Crutcher can be seen raising his arms in the air in the middle of the street.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.
His family members and community leaders are calling for justice after reviewing the dashcam footage of the fatal shooting.
“We saw that Terence did not have any weapon," family attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons told reporters on Monday. "Terence did not make any sudden movements. We saw that Terence was not being belligerent.”
Mr Crutcher’s twin sister Tiffany Crutcher is calling for charges against the officer who fired the fatal shot. She said that her brother is dead because of the “negligence,” “incompetence,” and “insensitivity” and because “he was a big, bad dude.”
Nearly a dozen protesters gathered outside the Tulsa County courthouse following the news conference, calling for justice in the case.
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice will also conduct an independent investigation of the shooting.
“The justice department is committed to investigating allegations of force by law enforcement officers and will devote whatever resources are necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are fully and completely investigated,” Attorney Danny C Williams said in a statement.
Graphic: Watch the footage of the shooting below.
Graphic: Watch ariel footage of the shooting below.
