OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A lawyer for a white Oklahoma police officer accused of manslaughter in an unarmed black man’s death says she was so hyper-focused on the situation that she didn’t hear other officers arrive on the scene or even the deadly gunshot she fired from her handgun.
Tulsa officer Betty Shelby, who is expected to plead not guilty to first-degree manslaughter at her arraignment on Friday, was experiencing what is commonly called “auditory exclusion,” a condition in which people in high-stress situations often don’t hear sounds around them, said her attorney, Scott Wood.
“She didn’t hear the gunshot, didn’t hear the sirens coming up behind her just prior to the shot,” Wood said Thursday. “And it’s not only a common phenomenon described in literature, but it’s the No. 1 perceptual distortion by people I have represented who have been involved in shootings – diminished sound or complete auditory exclusion.”
He said that while Shelby’s defense won’t hinge on whether she was aware of other officers on the scene when she shot 40-year-old Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16, it would be something important for jurors to know.
“It’s just one of the many facts that have happened, and I don’t think our defense turns on whether or not she knew they were there,” Wood said.