The officer who shot and killed Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma last September has been found not guilty.

Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby, 43, had been charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of Crutcher, 40. Crutcher was stalled on the side of the road when the encounter with cops began. He was shot while his hands were up. A not guilty verdict was reached shortly after 9 p.m. local time.

Crutcher's family called the verdict a disappointment.

"Terence was not the aggressor; Betty Shelby was the aggressor," Tiffany Crutcher, Crutcher's sister said. "Betty Shelby had the gun. Betty Shelby was following him with his hands up."

"Let it be known that I believe in my heart that Betty Shelby got away with murder," Crutcher's father, Rev. Joey Crutcher, said after the verdict was announced.

According to NBC News, the Department of Justice announced shortly after the shooting that it was opening a civil rights investigation.

Protests occurred following the news of the acquittal, with protesters reportedly blocking roads in Tulsa. Following the news of Shelby's acquittal #TerenceCrutcher also began trending on Twitter with emotional reactions to the all too familiar verdict. Check out the reactions below.

 

 

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