"So I take what I learned and developed what I call tools and I pass that on to other officers so maybe they can be better prepared to deal with a critical incident."
Despite the demonstrations this week, Shelby, now a Rogers County sheriff’s deputy, went ahead Tuesday with the scheduled class titled "Surviving the Aftermath of a Critical Incident," attended by about two dozen Tulsa County sheriff's deputies, officials said.
The "critical incident" does not solely refer to an officer-involved shooting, Shelby said, but can be an event that simply "tests the limits of their coping skills."
Shelby was arrested and charged two years ago with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Terence Crutcher, 40, after she came across an idling SUV stopped in the middle of a two-lane roadway and spotted Crutcher walking toward the vehicle.
Police video showed Crutcher with his hands in the air as Shelby and other officers approached him with their guns pointed at him. Crutcher can be seen in the video lowering his hands and apparently attempting to reach into the vehicle when Shelby opened fire, killing him.
Shelby went to trial on manslaughter charges and a jury acquitted her in August 2017, prompting outrage from activists in Tulsa and angry protests in the city's streets.
Word of Shelby’s teaching such a class in Tulsa ignited protests Monday outside the Civic Center in the city's downtown area, where one demonstrator, Marq Lewis, called the move "a slap in the face to all African-Americans."
Crutcher's sister, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, is also outraged by the news of Shelby’s teaching fellow officers.
