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Jury Seated, Opening Statements Made in Shelby Manslaughter Trial

KWGS News

With a jury in place Wednesday morning, both sides give their opening statements in the trial of a Tulsa police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man.

The jury for Betty Shelby’s trial is made up of three men and nine women. Two women are black, and the alternates are a black man and a Hispanic woman.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler has told jurors race is an issue in the case, and during trial they will hear radio traffic in which a Tulsa police helicopter pilot says, "That looks like a bad dude, too. Could be on something," as Terence Crutcher walked away from Shelby with his hands in the air.

In the defense’s opening statement, attorney Shannon McMurray said there’s nothing nefarious about that remark, telling jurors in 12 years, the pilot had never seen such blatant refusal to follow orders. Defense attorneys previously attempted to keep that audio out of trial.

Prosecutors told the jury they’ll see Betty Shelby’s interview with TPD’s homicide investigator. Assistant DA Kevin Gray said Shelby collapses, distraught over what happened, and that reveals her mindset the night she shot Terence Crutcher.

McMurray said Shelby is a 10 year veteran with more than 2,400 hours of training, so there’s no way she was acting out of fear on Sept. 16. McMurray said Shelby’s experience made it clear to her Crutcher was reaching for a gun, and evidence will show shooting him was her only choice.

"When you think someone’s going for lethal, you don’t go for less lethal," McMurray said.

As part of Shelby's defense, McMurray plans to tell jurors Kunzweiler broke protocol in charging her with manslaughter.

Shelby was charged Sept. 22. McMurray said Kunzweiler passed over TPD’s homicide investigator in favor of his own. His arrest affidavit said Shelby became emotional during her interaction with Crutcher and overreacted in shooting him.

McMurray said Wednesday Kunzweiler, not Shelby, is the one who acted unreasonably and out of fear.

McMurray’s opening statement echoed a grievance filed by Tulsa’s police union against Kunzweiler. It said he acted quickly because of outside pressure to avoid civil unrest.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.