No charges against two other officers in death of Sam DuBose

Ray Tensing, 25, had pleaded not guilty in the death of 43-year-old Samuel DuBose before Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan, who set his bond at US$1 million (RM3.81 million).

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a courtroom”.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters, who has criticized Tensing’s handling of the stop, said there was “confusion” in an initial incident report that implied the other two officers saw Tensing being dragged.

He says his hand was caught in DuBose’s auto, and he later left the scene with another officer to get checked out at a hospital. The officer has said he was forced to fire his weapon after nearly being run over. He had been with the University of Cincinnati for more than a year after starting police work in 2011 in a Cincinnati suburb. The University of Cincinnati canceled classes today, in advance of the press conference.

The case comes as the United States grapples with heightened racial tensions in the wake of a series of high-profile incidents of unarmed African Americans being killed by police in disputed circumstances. According to documents revealed by The Guardian, Phillip Kidd and Officer Eric Weibel were part of a seven-officer team that tased and shackled a mentally ill man who was having a psychotic episode. City officials who viewed video footage from Tensing’s body camera said the traffic stop shouldn’t have led to a shooting.

Authorities have said Tensing stopped the vehicle and a struggle ensued after DuBose failed to provide a driver’s license and refused to get out of the auto. The video bounces as Tensing chases after the auto as it rolls down the street. But there is no indication on the video of how he ended up on the ground. No telephone listing for Kidd could be found.

Kelly Brinson, a 45-year-old mental health patient at Cincinnati’s University hospital, suffered a psychotic episode on 20 January 2010 and was placed inside a seclusion room at the hospital by UC officers.

Cincinnati responded to the grand jury indictment of Officer Raymond Tensing, who’s facing a charge of murdering an unarmed man, with peaceful protests Wednesday night.

Mr Fehr said the university had breached its contract with the union when it fired Tensing on Wednesday after he was indicted. A sheriff’s spokesman says Tensing was released Thursday evening.

The nation now knows Ray Tensing as a former cop accused in the shooting death of Samuel DuBose. “We’re going to need multiple officers here”, Kidd said, later telling Tensing that he saw him being dragged by the auto and asking if he was OK.

The popular saying “driving while black” is backed by federal statistics that show black motorists are more likely to be pulled over than white and Hispanic motorists. “In their official interviews, neither officer said that they had seen Tensing being dragged”.