(Reuters) — A University of Cincinnati police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man has been charged with murder after a grand jury investigation, the Hamilton County prosecutor said on Wednesday (July 29).
Prosecutor Joseph Deters, speaking bluntly at a news conference to announce the charges, called the July 19 death of Samuel Dubose, 43, “senseless” and totally unnecessary. He said Ray Tensing, the white officer who shot Dubose in the head, never should have been a police officer.
Deters said Tensing, 25, had purposely shot Dubose, who was not resisting after he was pulled over for not having a front license plate on his car.
A body camera video Deters played for reporters showed Tensing running after the slowly rolling car after the stop. Deters said Tensing was not dragged by the car, as the officer had reported.
Police said Tensing, who also was charged with voluntary manslaughter, surrendered at about 2 p.m. EDT. He will be arraigned at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas and could face the possibility of life in prison if convicted.
Tensing’s attorney, Stew Mathews, told the Fox 19 television station in Cincinnati that his client was being “thrown under the bus” by the prosecutor and the school. Tensing was fired by the university police on Wednesday and school officials said they were talking with the Dubose family about providing educational support for Dubose’s children.
Asked about a second police officer who supported Tensing’s report of the incident, Deters said his office was investigating that.
Mathews said there is a second video that will show more of the incident, according to Fox 19.
