A few dozen protesters gathered outside the Tulsa County courthouse Monday morning to protest the fatal police shooting of a black man whose SUV had stalled on a city street.
The protest Monday comes in response to the death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, who was shot Friday. Authorities released audio and video recordings of the shooting Monday afternoon.
Mareo Johnson said Crutcher was a brother to him, and these sorts of shootings could create unrest if they're not dealt with.
"So I say right now, that us as a city — as a whole city, as one — should come together. You know what I'm saying? The leaders, pastors, the people of the community, the elected officials to make sure that justice is served," Johnson said.
Investigators say Crutcher approached officers as they investigated a stalled vehicle. Police spokeswoman Jeanne MacKenzie has said Crutcher refused orders to put up his hands, but a pastor who saw video footage says Crutcher had his hands up.
Johnson said the four-year prison sentence in the last Tulsa law enforcement killing of an unarmed black man wasn't enough.
"If it was enough, Terence Crutcher wouldn't be dead right now," Johnson said. "See, we've got to make a point to the police department and every officer that has a badge and a gun that says there could be consequences if I make the wrong decision or the wrong judgment."
Protesters at the local courthouse waved signs reading, "This Stops Now" and "Not Going, Keep Protesting." They also chanted, "Hands up, don't shoot." One of them, Tulsa resident Mark Whited, says more needs to be done to "bridge the mistrusts" between communities.
A woman named Angie said it's hard for her to respect police when unarmed people are being killed.
"I mean, you could've stun gunned that man," Angie said. "That man's kids going to school today, they're crying. They hurt. How is the wife going to take care of that family? There's a lot of consequences behind this, sir. A lot of them."
