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TULSA, Okla. – The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has ruled that a Tulsa police officer charged with first-degree manslaughter won’t have further preliminary hearing proceedings. The Tulsa World reports 42-year-old Betty Shelby remains on track for trial on May 8. Shelby is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the Sept. 16 shooting death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher.

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...

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Tulsa County DA: Charges of manslaughter in 1st degree will be filed against Officer Betty Shelby.

The latest gentle giant was apparently gently on PCP. Remember that, supposedly, damning line, Two 911 calls described an SUV that had been abandoned in the middle of the road. One unidentified caller said the driver was acting strangely, adding, "I think he's smoking something." Or the other one... Police helicopter footage was among several clips released Monday that show the shooting and aftermath. A man in the helicopter that arrives above the scene as Crutcher walks to the vehicle can be heard saying "time for a Taser" and then: "That looks like a bad dude, too. Probably on...

San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick says the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa is "the perfect example" of what he's protesting when he refuses to stand for the national anthem at 49ers' games. Kaepernick said Tuesday that "everybody's eyes" will be on Tulsa as authorities investigate the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher. He says criminal charges should be filed in the shooting death.