Deputy acquitted in man’s death says class is about coping

TULSA, Okla. – A white Oklahoma law officer who was acquitted in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man says a “critical incident” class that she’s been criticized for teaching isn’t just about officer-involved shootings.

Betty Shelby, a Rogers County sheriff’s deputy, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that the class touches on any critical incident an officer might face, including seeing a dead child.

Shelby resigned from the Tulsa Police Department after her acquittal last year on a manslaughter charge in the 2016 shooting of Terence Crutcher, who had his hands up when Shelby shot him. She argued that she thought Crutcher was reaching into his SUV.

Crutcher’s sister, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, said it’s insulting that the officer who killed her brother is teaching such a class.

The most recent class, titled “Surviving the Aftermath of a Critical Incident,” was held Tuesday for Tulsa County deputies.