OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A white Oklahoma police officer recently acquitted of fatally shooting an unarmed black man has submitted her resignation from the police force, her lawyer said Friday.
A jury in May acquitted Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby of manslaughter in the killing of Terence Crutcher last year.
Attorney Shannon McMurray said Shelby has submitted a resignation letter to the department, effective Aug. 3.
Tulsa police spokeswoman officer Jeannie McKenzie hasn’t returned a call seeking comment.
Shelby had been working in an administrative role at the police department since she returned to work days after her acquittal.
“She’s just not meant to do a desk job,” McMurray said. She’s said she’s not sure what her 43-year-old client will do for work next.
Shelby went back to work for the police department May 19, two days after she was acquitted. She had been on unpaid leave since Sept. 22, when prosecutors charged her.
Crutcher’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court in June against Shelby and the city of Tulsa. The suit seeks at least $75,000 in damages and calls for widespread reform in the Tulsa police department, including mandatory training for officers on managing suspects with mental health or substance abuse issues.
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