Tensing shot dead Samuel DeBose at traffic stop.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: A University of Cincinnati officer who shot a motorist during a traffic stop over a missing front license plate has been indicted on murder charges, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced the grand jury indictment at a news conference to discuss developments in the investigation into the July 19 shooting of 43-year-old Samuel DuBose by officer Ray Tensing.
Video from the officer’s body camera shows a routine traffic stop turning suddenly violent when DuBose leans toward the passenger seat and Tensing fires a single shot into his head. DuBose did not appear to be belligerent or aggressive before the officer fired.
Deters added during the indictment that Tensing “purposely killed [DuBose]” and “should never have been a police officer,” reported Cincincinnati.com.
Tensing has said he was dragged by the car and forced to shoot at DuBose — claims that were summarily dismissed by Deters and the grand jury.
“Some people want to believe Mr. DuBose did something violent toward the officer,” Deters said. “He did not. He did not at all.”
The decision came after 12 Hamilton County citizens reviewed evidence all day Monday as part of the grand jury investigation into the incident, which has put the city on edge and reignited worries about the often strained relationship between police and African-Americans in Cincinnati.
Tensing, 25, faces 15 years to life in prison if he’s convicted.
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” Deters told reporters after meeting with Dubose’s family. “This is the most asinine act I’ve ever seen a police officer make, totally unwarranted.”
On Wednesday, Audrey DuBose, the victim’s mother, praised the indictment, reported Reuters.
“I’m so thankful that everything was uncovered,” she told reporters. “I thought it was going to be covered up.”