University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing’s body camera shows his handgun drawn at a car that came to a stop after driver Samuel Dubose was pulled over and shot during a traffic stop in Cincinnati, in a still image from video released by the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday.
Reuters/AFP/Cincinnati
A judge has set a bond of $1mn for a former University of Cincinnati campus police officer charged with the murder of an unarmed black man he had stopped for a missing licence plate.
Ray Tensing, 25, pleaded not guilty at the arraignment before Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan in Cincinnati.
After she set bail, some people in the courtroom began applauding; she ordered them to stop.
The next court date was set for August 19.
Tensing was indicted on Wednesday on murder and voluntary manslaughter charges in the July 19 death of Samuel DuBose, 43, who was shot in the head during a traffic stop.
Tensing, who turned himself in and spent the night in jail in isolation, appeared in court in gray, striped prison clothes.
The incident was the latest in a series of fatal police confrontations in the United States that have raised questions about police use of force against minorities.
A body-camera video played for reporters on Wednesday showed how the traffic stop escalated into deadly violence.
Dubose calmly asks why he was pulled over and eventually tells Tensing that he left his licence at home.
Then – less than two minutes into the exchange – Dubose reaches for the keys and Tensing can be heard shouting “STOP! STOP!”
In the blink of an eye, a gun pops into view and DuBose slumps over in his seat. The video bounces as Tensing chases after the car as it rolls down the street.
DuBose died instantly, Deters said.
“It’s incredible. And so senseless,” Deters told reporters. “I think he lost his temper because Mr DuBose wouldn’t get out of his vehicle.”
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said that Tensing was not dragged by the car, as the officer had reported, but instead fell backwards after shooting DuBose in the head.
A review of the officer’s body camera footage showed Tensing was never in danger during the July 19 incident.
Deters said Tensing should have let DuBose drive away.
“He wasn’t dealing with someone who was wanted for murder – he was dealing with someone with a missing licence plate,” he said. “This is in the vernacular a pretty ‘chicken crap’ stop. If he started rolling away, seriously, let him go. You don’t have to shoot him in the head.”
Tensing was fired by university police on Wednesday. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
His attorney, Stew Mathews, told reporters on Wednesday that Tensing had feared for his life during the altercation with DuBose, so he drew his weapon.
He said it was possible Tensing’s family could raise the 10% of the bond needed to release him from custody.
“He’s feeling like he’s been run over by a train,” Mathews said.
Terina Allen, the victim’s sister, said that the video evidence from Tensing proved that DuBose was a peaceful man.
“Sam would have never did to that police officer what that police officer did to Sam,” Allen said.
Deters said that his office was investigating a second officer who had backed Tensing’s version of the traffic stop.
He also said he hopes the swift action by his office will show that justice is being done in this case.
“I feel so sorry for his family and I feel sorry for the community,” Deters said.
Cincinnati was struck by days of violent unrest following the shooting of an unarmed black man by the police in 2001.
Peaceful protesters rallied on Wednesday night waving “Black Lives Matter” placards, in reference to the grassroots movement opposing violence by law enforcement against blacks.
One sign read: “They kill our daddies, then make fun of us for being fatherless.”
