Terence Crutcher shooting: Police officer who shot unarmed black man defends her actions

The police officer who shot unarmed black man Terence Crutcher last week has given an account of the shooting in which the 40-year-old was killed.

Police officer Betty Shelby fatally shot Mr Crutcher after saying he was not complying with commands.

In video released by US police, Mr Crutcher is seen with his hands up standing in the middle of the road before walking slowly to his car. He then stands next to the off side window with several police officers behind him with their guns raised.

Seconds later a single shot is fired and Mr Crutcher falls to the ground.

Police had originally been called to the scene after receiving an emergency call about an abandoned vehicle blocking the road, with one caller saying Mr Crutcher had left the vehicle saying he was worried it might explode.

According to her attorney, Scott Wood, Ms Shelby said Mr Crutcher refused to follow more than two dozen commands after she arrived on the scene and that when he allegedly reached into the window of his car, Ms Shelby perceived a threat and shot him.

According to ABC News, Mr Wood said the police officer had approached the car and found the doors closed and windows open. She checked the passenger’s side to make no one was on the floor of the car and began to move round to the driver’s side when she turned and saw Mr Crutcher approaching.

Ms Shelby then reportedly asked: “Hey is this your car?” To which Mr Crutcher did not respond, but Ms Shelby said that at the time he was looking at her “kind of under his brow”, her attorney said.

Mr Crutcher is then alleged to have put his hand in his left pocket, to which Ms Shelby commanded: “Hey, please keep your hands out of your pocket when you’re talking to me. Let’s deal with this car.”

Mr Crutcher did not respond, so Ms Shelby ordered him again to take his hand from his pocket, to which Mr Crutcher then put both hands up.

Ms Shelby found this “strange”, Mr Wood said.

Mr Crutcher is then said to have mumbled “something unintelligible”, and stared at the police officer, before walking to the edge of the road with his hands still in the air.

It is alleged he then put his hands in his pocket again, to which Ms Shelby again ordered him to take his hand from his pocket.

According to Mr Wood, Ms Shelby, who is described as a “drug recognition expert”, at that point believed Mr Crutcher was “on something”, possibly PCP.

She then radioed colleagues to say she had a subject “who is not following commands”.

“You can kind of hear a degree of stress in her voice when she says that,” Mr Wood said.

Ms Shelby then pulled her gun out and ordered Mr Crutcher to get on his knees.

According to Mr Wood she was at that point planning to arrest him for being intoxicated in public.

Ms Shelby said she ordered Mr Crutcher to stop several times as he walked towards the off side door of his car with his hands up.

“As a police officer, you have to wonder why would someone ignore commands at gunpoint to get to a certain location,” Mr Wood said on behalf of Ms Shelby.

The Crutcher family’s attorney disputes Ms Shelby’s version of events, saying the window was up when Mr Crutcher was shot, which they say is evidenced by blood spattered on it from the gunshot.

A video taken from a police helicopter shows the scene from above.

“He’s got his hands up there for her now,” one police officer in the helicopter can be heard saying. “This guy is still walking and following commands.”

“Time for a taser, I think,” a second officer in the helicopter can be heard saying.

“I got a feeling that’s about to happen,” replies the first officer, identified by Mr Wood as Ms Shelby’s husband, Dave Shelby.

Seconds later, Mr Crutcher can be seen falling to the ground after being shot by Ms Shelby.

The US Department of Justice is investigating the police’s use of force.