University of Cincinnati Officer Indicted in Shooting Death of Driver [+video]

A University of Cincinnati police officer was indicted Wednesday on a murder charge in what a prosecutor called “a senseless, asinine shooting” during a minor traffic stop. It was the first time such a charge had been leveled against an officer in the city.

The Hamilton County prosecuting attorney, Joseph T. Deters, released a much-anticipated video of the shooting of Samuel DuBose, and described it as providing crucial evidence that the officer had lied about being dragged by DuBose’s car.

A grand jury, Deters announced, had indicted Officer Ray Tensing for murder, punishable by life in prison, and voluntary manslaughter.

“It was a senseless, asinine shooting,” Deters said at a news conference in Cincinnati, using stark terms to denounce the July 19 episode, Tensing’s statements about it, and the 25-year-old officer himself. “This office has probably reviewed upwards of 100 police shootings, and this is the first time we’ve thought, ‘This is without question a murder.’

“He wasn’t dealing with someone who was wanted for murder,” Deters said. “He was dealing with someone who didn’t have a front license plate. This was, in the vernacular, a pretty chicken-crap stop.” (Read more from “University of Cincinnati Officer Indicted in Shooting Death of Driver” HERE)

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