By Rickey Hampton, Founder and Editor of The African-American Athlete
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]unday night’s 60 Minutes interview by CBS’ Bill Whitaker of Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby, who shot and killed Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man is chilling.
Most of the incident is caught on tape, as Shelby shoots Crutcher less than two minutes after stopping him on a traffic stop. Shelby will go on trial for manslaughter next week.
It is clear that what made Crutcher a danger in Shelby’s eyes was the fact Crutcher, 6-foot, 240 pounds, was a big black man, although she maintains that his race played no factor. In my mind, Shelby panicked. She choked. She was terrified. And she shot Crutcher for no reason.
“I have sorrow that this happened, and this man lost his life” said Shelby “But he caused the situation to occur. In the end, he cause his own [death].”
Crutcher caused his own death? Well, I’ll be damned! This is why we, as black folk, have to explain police encounter survival techniques to our children, and practice them ourselves, when. And as the death of Terence Crutcher demonstrates, you can do all those things and still end up dead. But judge for yourself. Click the link and watch the video for yourself: 60 Minutes Video
