The Oklahoma cop acquitted in the fatal shooting of a black man resigned from her police department Friday.
Officer Betty Shelby, who was cleared of fatally shooting Terence Crutcher, originally returned to a desk job instead of working on a patrol unit. This change in her work played a role in her decision to leave the Tulsa Police Department.
“Since being reinstated, I have found that sitting behind a desk, isolated from all my fellow officers and the citizens of Tulsa, is just not for me,” Shelby said in her written statement. “I am proud to have had the privilege to call myself a Tulsa Police Officer. It is an honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
A jury cleared Shelby in May of her first degree manslaughter charge for her 2016 shooting of Crutcher. Shelby shot Crutcher when she came across his car parked along the side of the highway, saying he tried to reach into his car window despite her commands not to. (RELATED: Jury Clears Tulsa Cop In Fatal Shooting, Protests Erupt)
Shelby thanked her fellow officers for their support during the aftermath of the shooting and the trial.
“I also want to thank my fellow officers for the moral support they gave me the last 10 months. I could not ask for better friends. I have had the honor of working with the finest officers in the nation,” the statement read. “As I have stated before, the incident with Terence Crutcher was a tragedy for everyone involved and I am sorry he lost his life.”
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