Appeals court rules against slain man’s estate, cites technicality

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An Oklahoma appeals court has ruled against the estate of an unarmed black man who was shot and killed in 2016 by a white former Tulsa police officer.
The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals ruled Friday that the wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Tulsa filed by the estate of Terence Crutcher was appropriately dismissed by the trial court. The courts determined that the lawsuit violated a ban on splitting claims, since a similar lawsuit is pending in federal court.
A Tulsa County jury acquitted former officer Betty Shelby in May 2017 in the shooting death of Crutcher, who was unarmed and holding his hands above his head when he was shot.
Federal prosecutors earlier this month announced the closure of an investigation into whether Shelby violated Crutcher’s civil rights.