OK ex-cop acquitted in shooting of unarmed man now an NRA Instructor

[HCM]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...w-nra-n1001796

Oklahoma cop who was acquitted in shooting death of unarmed black man is now an NRA gun instructor
Betty Shelby, the ex-Tulsa cop who fatally shot Terence Crutcher in 2016, will soon teach an NRA course. Crutcher's family calls it "a slap in the face."

A white Oklahoma police officer acquitted in the shooting death of an unarmed black man is now teaching pistol lessons through the NRA.

Betty Shelby, the former Tulsa police officer who fatally shot Terence Crutcher in September 2016, said she shot him in self-defense. Video of the shooting showed Crutcher holding his hands above his head prior to the shooting. Crutcher then appears to reach into his vehicle, which is when Shelby opened fire. She was charged with manslaughter of the unarmed father in 2016, but acquitted by a jury in 2017.

Shelby was placed on desk duty after the shooting, a position she resigned from two months after her acquittal. “Sitting behind a desk...is just not for me,” Shelby said in a statement released by her union at the time, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93.

Now, Shelby has a new job — teaching shooting courses for the NRA.

According to the NRA’s website and a Facebook event for the course, Shelby will teach the day-long “NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course” on May 11. The course costs $85 to attend and will take place at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa. The Facebook event says attendees “will need a minimum of 100 rounds of ammo” to participate.

The Facebook event page was posted by Shelby's company, ISWB, LLC, which says on its Facebook profile that it's “dedicated to providing real life training to law enforcement and civilians." ISWB stands for “I Stand With Betty,” a slogan adopted by Tulsa police offices after Shelby was charged with the death of Crutcher.

This has bad idea written all over it.

Appearances aside, her prior issues would be raised in any litigation arising from shootings by her students.

[Totem Polar]

Not disagreeing. That said, how is her teaching firearms coursework different from any cop who’s been involved in a legal shooting doing the same? I’ve taken classes from more than one trainer who’s been in shootings. That being true, I really am asking, and I don’t know the particulars of her case.

[HCM]

Not disagreeing. That said, how is her teaching firearms coursework different from any cop who’s been involved in a legal shooting doing the same? I’ve taken classes from more than one trainer who’s been in shootings. That being true, I really am asking, and I don’t know the particulars of her case.

Controversial / racially charged case in which she shot an unarmed man due to a furtive movement and was criminally charged.

I don’t necessarily agree with her being charged criminally or the racial grievance industry drama associated with it but it was not what I would call a “good” shoot either.

Big difference between a a cop involved in a justified LE UOF no billed by the grand jury (most LE shootings) and a bad shoot resulting in a cop charged with manslaughter and a national level media circus.

What you are saying is like saying taking training from Scott Reitz or Jared Reston is the same as taking training from Gabe Suarez when the time comes for them to take the stand about how you were trained. Good luck with that.

Not really a great public face for the NRA either. With friends like her and Ted Nugent who needs enemies.

Some background - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/u...&region=Footer

[Cypher]

I'm not sure I see the issue. She's not teaching an advanced tactical pistol course, she's teaching Basic Handgun Safety.

I don't see how her past is going to have any bearing on that. Except for the fact that the media has an agenda

[blues]

It's all about optics..."and the possible appearance of impropriety" (as drummed into the heads of every federal LEO early on in their careers).

Facts don't seem to matter in those murky waters. Finger pointing alone often carries the day.

No one that gets challenged in this matter will come away unscathed, rightly or wrongly, and I agree with HCM that the NRA will be made out to be the cold-hearted villain in this saga.

[Lost River]

According to the NRA.org there are:

125,000 instructors, 8,000 coaches and 2,200 training counselors.

Does anyone seriously think they do a background check on the instructors?

Getting an NRA instructor certificate pretty much requires you show up and have a pulse, and I am not sure you have to have the latter, having gone through a number of them and having been one for 20+ years. If you show up, you pass is essentially the attitude.

I would not be surprised if the opposition sent in a convicted felon to get an instructors certificate, then used that as political hay..

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I see the point. Instructors have been called as experts supporting you. Also, the utterances and doctrines of some instructors (have a plan to kill everyone) have been brought up as negatives for the defense.

Involved in a racially involved, ambiguous shoot - having your instructor being suspect might imply something about you. That will depend on the jury's view of it. Even if a judge doesn't allow it, the info might still get to the jury. Studies show instructions to disregard might make a jury pay more attention to it.

[HCM]

According to the NRA.org there are:

125,000 instructors, 8,000 coaches and 2,200 training counselors.

Does anyone seriously think they do a background check on the instructors?

Getting an NRA instructor certificate pretty much requires you show up and have a pulse, and I am not sure you have to have the latter, having gone through a number of them and having been one for 20+ years. If you show up, you pass is essentially the attitude.

I would not be surprised if the opposition sent in a convicted felon to get an instructors certificate, then used that as political hay..

My comments are less about the NRA certifying her and more about her thinking this was a good idea.

For her trying to grow her business, I guess the phrase “there is no such thing as bad publicity” applies.

However, for the NRA, and gun culture in general, being an “old white dudes” club is a path to extinction, and this doesn’t help expand the tent.

[beenalongtime]

It's all about optics..."and the possible appearance of impropriety" (as drummed into the heads of every federal LEO early on in their careers).

All about the optics goes both ways. She was still on desk duty, after the acquittal. She resigned. So that doesn't really tell me if she would have been back in the field after a time (letting all the public backlash subside), or they were going to fire her and let her resign instead.
On the other hand, while a student should question if they want this person as their instructor, the optics of the NRA trying to dissuade someone not guilty, who didn't loose their 2nd amendment rights, from teaching a class in which they may have learned valuable lessons after the fact, wouldn't look good either.

There isn't much positive either way.

[Cypher]

My comments are less about the NRA certifying her and more about her thinking this was a good idea.

For her trying to grow her business, I guess the phrase “there is no such thing as bad publicity” applies.

However, for the NRA, and gun culture in general, being an “old white dudes” club is a path to extinction, and this doesn’t help expand the tent.

She's teaching a beginner's handgun safety course. I bet 99% of her students don't even know who she is.