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The Editors
Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby blamed victim Terrence Crutcher for his own death in a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday. She claims that if he had been more obedient to her during those fateful few minutes in September 2016 then he would still be alive today.
“His actions dictated my actions,” Officer Shelby stated.
Seven months later, Shelby takes no personal responsibility for the death of Crutcher despite the fact she was the one who pulled the trigger abruptly ending the life of the father of four.
“What I based everything on was his actions, his behaviors. Race had nothing to do with my decision making,” Shelby claimed in her frustrating interview with Bill Whitaker.
Shelby continued her weak defense by playing the victim card, “My situation was no different than– I don’t know whether I should say this– than a lynch mob coming after me. And I had those very threats.” Her statement opens wounds from the not-too-distant past when a real lynch mob came for Dick Rowland in 1921 Tulsa.
Shelby also demonized North Tulsa as “crime-ridden” and even mocked Crutcher saying that he was zombie-like, demonstrating his demeanor by gnashing her teeth. Making Crutcher into “the other,” in this case a dangerous Frankenstein-like zombie must help her sleep at night.
If you have a safe space to scream or cry, the editors recommend checking out the transcript of the full segment here.