Origin story

Terence Crutcher, Sr. was shot and killed on September 16, 2016 by Tulsa Police Department Officer Betty Shelby in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed and law enforcement was not called to the scene due to any wrongdoing from Terence. Officer Shelby admitted to being “afraid” of Terence Crutcher. Her perceived threat of Terence Crutcher moments later resulted in his lifeless body lying on the street without aid.

On May 17, 2017, Officer Shelby was found “not guilty” by a jury of her peers who admitted that the Officer was unfit to serve in law enforcement. On May 22, Officer Shelby returned to the Tulsa Police Department on desk duty and was awarded back pay for missed days of work. Her actions and that of the Tulsa police department thereafter unearthed almost a century of racial tension in Tulsa and left three children without their father.

Since this tragedy, Terence’s family has committed to ending the realities of violent policing, unjust policies throughout the criminal legal system, and supporting families who have lost loved ones to senseless gun violence.

Terence’s name lives on.