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Terence Crutcher attorneys: PCP doesn't justify police shooting

Posted at 12:47 PM, Oct 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-12 13:50:09-04

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Attorneys for the family of an unarmed man killed by a Tulsa police officer last month say a toxicology report showing he had the hallucinogenic drug PCP in his system doesn't justify the shooting.

The attorneys released a statement Tuesday night after the Oklahoma medical examiner released autopsy results for Terence Crutcher.

Crutcher was shot Sept. 16 after his car broke down on a Tulsa street. Officer Betty Jo Shelby is charged with first-degree manslaughter in his death, with a prosecutor saying she reacted unreasonably after Crutcher disobeyed her commands.

SPECIAL SECTION: The fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher

The autopsy report says Crutcher's blood tested positive for phencyclidine, also known as PCP or Angel Dust. Medical literature says it can induce euphoria and feelings of omnipotence.

The statement from the family's attorneys says that "does not change the most pertinent facts of this tragedy" and that Shelby "should be held accountable for her unlawful actions.

This item has been corrected to reflect that the statement was from multiple attorneys.