Campus cop charged with murder for shooting unarmed black man Ray Tensing, bodycam video released
Campus cop charged with murder for shooting unarmed black man Ray Tensing, bodycam video released
A white University of Cincinnati police officer who shot a black, unarmed motorist dead after he pulled him over for a missing front license plate has been indicted on murder charges.
Officer Ray Tensing, 25, is now in custody after handing himself in following the deadly shooting of 43-year-old Samuel DuBose on Sunday July 19 during a traffic stop that a prosecutor described as ‘chicken crap’.
He had claimed he was forced to shoot the father-of-13 in the head after being dragged underneath the car – but the release of the horrifying bodycam footage has exposed his lies.
Prosecutor Joe Deters announced the murder and voluntary manslaughter charges on Wednesday, adding Tensing ‘purposely killed him’ and ‘should never have been a police officer.’
In a strongly-worded statement, Deter told the media he thinks Tensing lost his temper, but insisted the incident was the most ‘asinine thing’ he had seen in 30 years as an attorney and should never have happened.
Tensing saw DuBose driving his 1998 green Honda accord without a front license plate at about 6.30pm on Sunday, police said. Dubose, who has more than 60 arrests, continued driving for another mile after Tensing signaled for him to pull over.
He asked to see DuBose’s driver’s license several times, but he said he didn’t have it one him and he was just heading home.
Tensing persisted so instead DuBose handed him a bottle of alcohol.
The officer then asked DuBose to step out of his vehicle and at that point, a struggle occurred.
As Tensing pulls the door open a few inches, DuBose pulls it closed and says, ‘I didn’t do nothing, man.’
As DuBose turns the key and revs the engine, Tensing pulls his gun, shouts, ‘Stop! Stop!’ and shoots DuBose in the head through the open window.
The car, essentially being driven by a dying man at that point, managed to make it a block before slamming into a lamppost.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tensing’s attorney had said he wouldn’t be surprised if his client were indicted given the political climate.
The officer has since handed himself in and is set to be arraigned at 10am (ET) on Thursday.
If convicted, Tensing faces life in prison. He has also been fired from the University of Cincinnati police department in the wake of the announcement.
According to a police report, Tensing said he was being dragged along by the car and was forced to shoot. Two other officers who arrived at the scene after corroborated his story.
But Deters says the video of the incident shows that wasn’t the case.
The shocking footage appears to show DuBose ‘slowly rolling away’, before Tensing shoots him in the head.
He said: ‘When you see this [the body cam video] you won’t believe how quickly he pulls his gun. Maybe a second — it’s incredible.
‘He fell backward after he shot [DuBose] in the head,’ Deters said, adding it was a ‘chicken crap’ stop.
‘It’s an absolute tragedy that anyone would behave in this manner. It was senseless. It’s just horrible.
‘He wasn’t dealing with someone wanted for murder. He was dealing with someone without a front license plate.’
In a lengthy press conference, he added that the body cam footage was integral in filing charges.
He also suggested the University of Cincinnati Police should not exist and should instead be replaced by an extended unit of the city’s police force.
DuBose’s mother, Audrey’ also addressed the media after the charges were announced, and forgave Tensing for his actions.
She thanked everyone for their support and insisted the decision was ‘already a victory’.
Describing her son as ‘non-violent’ and a ‘joker’, she feared prosecutors wouldn’t pursue serious charges because the shooting involved a police officer. She added that she’s grateful authorities were as appalled as she was by the video.
‘I’m so thankful that everything was uncovered,’ she said. ‘Everything is being revealed.’
‘I trust God, and I knew it was going to be alright,’ said Audrey DuBose, Samuel’s mother. ‘I knew that if this man [Tensing] went free, and nothing was done to him, it was because he was really a righteous man and he didn’t do nothing.
‘But I knew that my son was a righteous man. I knew that my son had the same spirit that dwells in me, dwell in him.
‘That’s how he was fed. So, if my son is righteous and he get killed, somebody had to be wicked here.’
His sister also spoke, suggesting his family knew the video would vindicate DuBose.
Terina Allen said the clip helped him avoid being stereotyped, or turned into just another ‘neighborhood thug’
The city is now braced for demonstrations expected in the wake of the decision. A Black Lives Matter march is set to take to the streets on Wednesday evening.
The university cancelled on its uptown and medical campuses on Wednesday in anticipation of the grand jury decision . In a statement, the university said the decision was made with ‘an abundance of caution’.
City officials, including Mayor John Cranley, have said residents have the right to express their moral outrage, but have warned people against ‘violence and lawlessness’.
Tensing has five years of law enforcement experience and has worked with the University of Cincinnati Police department for more than a year, authorities said after the incident.
According to records released by the university last week, a supervisor gave Tensing a high appraisal score that put him between ‘satisfactory’ and ‘superior’.
