Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The murky science behind killer Tulsa cop’s temporary deafness defense
Think Progress ^ | October 07, 2016 | Alan Pyke

Posted on 10/09/2016 12:16:32 AM PDT by Trump20162020

It will probably be a long time before Shelby sees the inside of a courtroom. But her lawyers are already previewing her case in the media — and Shelby’s attorneys have a strange argument they’ll use in her defense.

Shelby had no idea her backup was right behind her, prepared to subdue Crutcher with a less-lethal taser, the lawyers are saying, because she was temporarily deaf due to the stress of the situation. The law enforcement community calls it “auditory exclusion.”

“She didn’t hear the gunshot, didn’t hear the sirens coming up behind her just prior to the shot,” defense lawyer Scott Wood told the Associated Press last week. Auditory exclusion is “the no. 1 perceptual distortion by people I have represented who have been involved in shootings,” he added.

(Excerpt) Read more at thinkprogress.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Oklahoma
KEYWORDS: bettyshelby; crutcher; oklahoma; terencecrutcher
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-51 next last
To: SauronOfMordor
More aptly described as tunnel vision. Doesn't require a lot of stress either. This is only part of the explanation.

I honestly believe this is also a product of scenario based training. I am betting at some point she had a training scenario where a role player gets to his vehicle and retrieves a gun. There are several famous dash cam videos of that happening and police being shot.

21 posted on 10/09/2016 6:29:33 AM PDT by USNBandit (Sarcasm engaged at all times)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: xrmusn

“When I copied High Speed Morse, I was able to carry on a conversation, listen to music OR tune out everything else around me.”

I could never do that. I got comfortable enough where I could lag a group or two behind, but that was about it. I knew guys who could keep track of two “conversations” at once, but I never got that good.


22 posted on 10/09/2016 6:34:09 AM PDT by PLMerite (Lord, let me die fighting lions. Amen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Trump20162020

This fails by the “Twinkie defense” standard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense

While the defense worked, in that case, just barely, it resulted in considerable embarrassment to the courts, and eventually a change in California law, that was for once, reasonable.

“...the term ‘diminished capacity’... was replaced by the term ‘diminished actuality’, referring not to the capacity to have a specific intent, but to whether the defendant actually had the required intent to commit the crime with which he or she was charged.”

In this case, *it wouldn’t matter* if because of “temporary deafness” she was unaware of other officers wanting to use other means. Her intent was to shoot to kill.

And given the circumstances of the case, that the man was unarmed and posing no immediate threat her intent and actions were unlawful.


23 posted on 10/09/2016 6:43:23 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Friday, January 20, 2017. Reparations end.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dirtboy
People act like the guy wasn't doing anything wrong.

He wasn't doing anything wrong. And it proved fatal.

24 posted on 10/09/2016 6:47:16 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

Comment #25 Removed by Moderator

To: DoodleDawg
He wasn't doing anything wrong. And it proved fatal.

He was walking back to his vehicle. Google Kyle Dinkheller about what can happen when the suspect gets back to his vehicle when the officer doesn't stop him from doing such.

26 posted on 10/09/2016 6:58:32 AM PDT by dirtboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: dirtboy
He was walking back to his vehicle.

He was unarmed and not threatening anyone. If that's ground for shooting him then why did she wait so long?

Google Kyle Dinkheller about what can happen when the suspect gets back to his vehicle when the officer doesn't stop him from doing such.

What you are saying then is that in both cases the officer misread the situation resulting in a tragic outcome. In one case an unarmed suspect died for no reason. In the other a police officer was murdered in cold blood. Shouldn't both instances be viewed equally as tragedies? And shouldn't the person needlessly causing the death be prosecuted for it in both cases?

27 posted on 10/09/2016 7:30:07 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: DoodleDawg
He was unarmed and not threatening anyone

Situations can explode in no time at all. Walking away from the officer and towards his vehicle put the officer on edge. I'll wait for the trial for better evidence, but he wasn't just standing still in the road with his hands up.

Shouldn't both instances be viewed equally as tragedies?

Ever hear of the saying better judged by twelve instead of carried by six?

28 posted on 10/09/2016 7:40:24 AM PDT by dirtboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Hardastarboard

Thank you. I have re-posted the comments in post 60. There were some glaring grammatical errors.


29 posted on 10/09/2016 7:45:04 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (30 days: Until Presdient Pre-elect becomes President Elect Donald J. Trump. Help is on the way!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: dirtboy
Situations can explode in no time at all. Walking away from the officer and towards his vehicle put the officer on edge. I'll wait for the trial for better evidence, but he wasn't just standing still in the road with his hands up.

Nor was he posing a threat. To her or anyone.

Ever hear of the saying better judged by twelve instead of carried by six?

Do you agree that her actions should be dispassionately judged by 12? Or was it a good shoot and she should be freed?

30 posted on 10/09/2016 7:49:28 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: JTHomes
Along these lines,...

The officer is so focused on the possible threat, that she can't hear anything else.  You are stating that the perp is so focused on the threat to him, he can't listen.  These are not along the same lines.  They are diametrically opposed..

...maybe cops should be trained that citizens might not hear or process commands being barked at them because they are under stress from cops pointing weapons at them,...

If an officer had a gun in her hands, you wouldn't be able to listen to her?  Really?

If an officer had a gun in her hands, it would signify to me that she thought she needed it for some reason.  I would do everything in my power to signal to her that she didn't need it.

I would listen to every command she said, sang, sign languaged, inferred, or barked.  I would do exactly what she stated.  Further, I would verbally tell her in a short sentence that I intended to comply and meant her no harm whatsoever.

I would never turn my back on her, do something other than what she barked (if you will).  Any move other than what she requested, would raise her level of unease.  That IS NOT how you defuse a situation.  Get through the event.  Afterwards you can file a complaint..


...so they should stop escalating traffic stops into deadly situations.


Officers don't generally get out of their vehicle, pull their weapons, and brandish at members of the public without cause.  Something made this woman pull her weapon.  That something was the escalation.  The officer pulling her weapon to fight off a potential threat was not the escalation.  It was a response to it.

The man then turned and walked toward his vehicle.  That WAS NOT compliance.  It was a further exacerbation of the tense situation.

If he had complied with her barked (or otherwise) commands, he's be alive right now..


31 posted on 10/09/2016 8:03:05 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (30 days: Until Presdient Pre-elect becomes President Elect Donald J. Trump. Help is on the way!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: DoodleDawg

He wasn’t complying with the officer’s commands. He was going to be taken into custody for public intoxication. If he had gotten back behind the wheel, driven merrily of and into oncoming traffic and killed someone, would that have been doing nothing wrong and a senseless tragedy?


32 posted on 10/09/2016 8:16:09 AM PDT by Trailerpark Badass (There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach, said one woman.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Trailerpark Badass
He wasn’t complying with the officer’s commands. He was going to be taken into custody for public intoxication. If he had gotten back behind the wheel, driven merrily of and into oncoming traffic and killed someone, would that have been doing nothing wrong and a senseless tragedy?

Then why didn't she shoot him right off the bat? Why wait? And of the four officers on the scene why was she the only one who thought the suspect had to die?

33 posted on 10/09/2016 8:17:56 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Trump20162020
This guy went on local media within about a week after it happened and explained that when Betty Shelby shot Mr. Crutcher he was behaving in a way that made her think he was "on drugs".

The jury pool is now tainted, and he seems to have no other defense, except "she couldn't hear".

34 posted on 10/09/2016 8:35:35 AM PDT by OKSooner (She was practiced at the art of deception, you could tell by her bloodstained hands.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoodleDawg
I was addressing your contention that he was "doing nothing wrong."

That is patently untrue. He stopped his vehicle in the middle of the road. He was refusing or unable to comply with the officer's lawful commands. There was ample evidence he was under the influence of drugs, both from his behavior on the scene, and possibly reflected in his arrest record. We know now from his family that he was a PCP user.

Whether or not the officer should have shot him at that moment will be decided in court.

But the idea that Mr. Crutcher was "doing nothing wrong" and "a threat to nobody" is 100% straight-up BS.

I note again you argue in a duplicitous way, assuming and creating strawmen instead of addressing what was actually stated.

35 posted on 10/09/2016 8:37:08 AM PDT by Trailerpark Badass (There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach, said one woman.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: DoodleDawg
Nor was he posing a threat. To her or anyone.

So I guess the cop should have waited for him to pull out a gun and start shooting before returning fire? Like Dinkheller did?

I'm sorry, walking towards the car gave both cops concern, and he must have made some significant movement because both cops fired - one a taser, one a gun.

Do you agree that her actions should be dispassionately judged by 12?

I have been saying that consistently. But to claim the target did nothing wrong is ludicrous. Failing to comply with the directions of the officers to stop walking towards the vehicle jacked up the situation. And the cop that fired the taser is not facing disciplinary action that I am aware of. So the question is not that force was justified - more that was the level of force justified?

36 posted on 10/09/2016 8:41:44 AM PDT by dirtboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: PLMerite

Got to where I would be a line & a half or two behind - in groups of 5 letters or numbers...
about 20 groups to a line - 100 characters...

Funny thing though, I was a ‘master’ on the bug but my hand sending on standard key was choppy and sounded forced -
That was MY critique of myself, can imagine how I sounded towards others..

Speed Key came sort of natural and copying was a snap

Of course when one is sending it sounds GREAT because the person sending knows what he is saying.... <: <:


37 posted on 10/09/2016 10:09:25 AM PDT by xrmusn ((6/98)" "If you see a civilian in cammies -- bump into him")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: xrmusn

I’ve never sent a dit in my life. My job was all receive.


38 posted on 10/09/2016 10:17:06 AM PDT by PLMerite (Lord, let me die fighting lions. Amen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: DoodleDawg; Trailerpark Badass

Trailerpark Badass has very ably addressed the reasons that anyone, cop or otherwise, would have been wise to treat that suspect with great caution. But, something that no one has brought up yet, is this. These officers are almost certainly guilty of only one thing: poor tactics.

They let the suspect control the encounter, and though they tried to deploy less lethal (Taser), they didn’t use it soon enough, waiting until the suspect reached into his car. (At least it looked that way to me on the tape.) Not that the Taser is all that reliable with a PCP user anyway, but at least they had the thought.

But, considerwhat the cops knew, and what they didn’t. They knew, or at least had the reasonable suspicion that the was high on PCP (She was a DRE). They had at least the warrant returns, and possibly the prior assault conviction if he was still on parole.

They did NOT know if he was armed or not. They did not know why he wanted back into the car so badly. They did not know why he was ignoring their (lawful) orders. And most importantly, they did not know what would be in his hand after he reached into that front seat.

So as to your assertion that he posed no threat, many would disagree: given the totality of the circumstances, trying to reach into that car was most definately a threat to everyone present. Granted, in an ideal world things would never have gotten that far, and it’s fair to ding the cops for that, assuming they had proper training (many smaller departments don’t).

The suspect is dead, in short, because of his actions. He chose to ignore the officers lawful orders. He chose to return to his car, and he also chose to take an action that any reasonable person could construe as an attempt to arm himself. It’s very easy to not get shot by the cops. That narrative keeps getting lost. Yes, the police has a positive obligation to follow the law and use only objectively reasonable force. But people also have the obligation to themselves follow the law. Our entire legal system rests on that cooperation. When that goes, you get a very different kind of society.


39 posted on 10/09/2016 11:12:24 AM PDT by absalom01 (You should do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, and you should never wish to do less.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: dirtboy
So I guess the cop should have waited for him to pull out a gun and start shooting before returning fire? Like Dinkheller did?

I believe the police officer should have waited until there was a threat to her safety or the safety of others before shooting the man.

I'm sorry, walking towards the car gave both cops concern, and he must have made some significant movement because both cops fired - one a taser, one a gun.

Then why not shoot him the moment he started walking to the car if that is and of itself a threat to the safety of the officers? And you will note that of the four officers on the scene only one so totally misjudged the situation that she felt it necessary to use deadly force. Were the other careless?

But to claim the target did nothing wrong is ludicrous.

To say that walking away from a police officer is threatening enough to justify shooting him is ludicrous.

40 posted on 10/09/2016 11:17:15 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-51 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson