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Betty Shelby Reflects: One Year After Verdict

KWGS News

 

A former Tulsa officer who was acquitted last year in the killing of an unarmed black man is now thriving in her new law enforcement role.

 Betty Shelby was sworn in as a Rogers County reserve deputy in August after resigning from the Tulsa Police Department. She transitioned to full-time patrol duty in December.

Shelby says she felt anxious about how public perception could affect her job, but said Wednesday her reception has been "overwhelmingly wonderful."

The optimism comes a year after a jury acquitted Shelby for the 2016 fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher. The shooting and subsequent trial led to nationwide protests and dialogue about police treatment of minorities.

Shelby declined to comment on the shooting citing pending litigation. The deputy is a defendant in an active federal civil rights lawsuit alleging excessive force in Crutcher's death.