Former Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby wants all court records related to her manslaughter case to be sealed from public view in the interest of her privacy, according to a court document filed Monday.
Attorneys representing Shelby filed a petition seeking expungement of the records related to her arrest on a charge of first-degree manslaughter in her fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher nearly a year ago. A jury acquitted Shelby in May.
Shelby fatally shot Crutcher, who was unarmed, on Sept. 16, an event that quickly drew intense public scrutiny.
Police video of the encounter shows Crutcher walking toward his SUV with his hands raised as Shelby points her handgun at him. She has contended that she shot him when he reached with his left hand through the half-open driver’s window.
The petition states that Shelby has no criminal convictions, as well as no felony or misdemeanor charges pending. It asserts that Shelby “faces dangers of unwarranted adverse consequences” unless the case records are sealed.
“(Shelby)’s privacy interests outweigh the interests of the public in maintaining this arrest record as a public document,” the petition contends.
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