Shocking : Terence Crurcher is the 844th person killed by the police in USA as of 21 Septermber 2016

Police out of control

Hundreds of people are dying every month in the hands of police,in fact  as of 21 September, 844 people have been killed by the police in the USA this year, and if care is not taken names of victims and accused officers can go unnoticed.

However, if officer Betty Shelby is charged for the murder of Terence Crucher, it won't change anything

Oklahoma officer Betty Shelby has now been arrested and charched with manslaughter after she shot dead unarmed black manTerence Crutcher. 

Even though, all evidence so far points to another unjustifiable killing, it begs the question why the treatment towards her, and the wording of the charges against her, appear to be different to that of her male colleagues – most of whom walk free when they commit similar crimes.

Her arrest and charges are significant for three reasons. First, it is very rare for an officer to face charge after killing a civilian in the line of duty. In most cases, officers are placed on paid administrative leave while a police investigation, a matter of routine, is carried out. The process typically concludes with a statement confirming the officer acted according to protocol.

Second, the process leading to Shelby’s arrest has been rather quick. At the time of writing, protesters are still pressuring police to release video footage of the death of Keith Lamont Scott, which happened just days after Crutcher was killed. For conclusions to be drawn so rapidly is highly unusual.

Third, Shelby is a woman.

If she is convicted of manslaughter of an unarmed black person, it will be one of the very few times a police officer has faced sentencing for the crime. As of 21 September, 844 people have been killed by police in the US this year. There is no official database of “justifiable killings”, but the numbers likely indicate that hundreds of – mostly male – officers are off the hook in 2016 alone.