There have been a lot of outrageous excuses for police officers shooting and killing unarmed black men in this country, but Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby‘s has to be the worst.

After killing 40-year-old Terence Crutcher last week, Shelby’s attorney Scott Wood revealed that the officer had a temporary loss of hearing during the confrontation with Crutcher that prevented her from hearing another officer say that he had his taser ready. Wood says that his client had experienced “auditory exclusion,” which sometimes occurs in stressful situations because the person experiencing it is so focused on the critical incident.

Wood also claims that Shelby did not hear the sirens of the other police car, nor did she hear Officer Tyler Turnbough announce his presence and say that he had his taser ready, adding, “She doesn’t have any recollection of that at all.” He continued, “If you think someone has a gun, you don’t get your Taser out.”

However, attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons is not buying Shelby’s story. He stated, “The video clearly showed that Terence Crutcher did not have a weapon, that Terence was not belligerent, that Terence had his hands up, that Terence was not a threat. When we saw that video, we knew there was no reason for Terence to be shot down in the street.”

Shelby, who was charged with manslaughter, was bonded out of jail immediately after she turned herself in.

Source: The Grio|PHOTOCREDIT: Getty 

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