ME: Unarmed man fatally shot by Tulsa cop had PCP in his system

TULSA -- A medical examiner has found that an unarmed black man fatally shot by a white Tulsa police officer had the hallucinogenic drug PCP in his system when he died, reports CBS affiliate KOTV.

A toxicology report released by the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office found Terence Crutcher had 96 nanograms per milliliter of phencyclidine, or PCP, in his bloodstream, according to the Tulsa World. The report said Crutcher had “acute phencyclidine intoxication,” according to KOTV.

Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby has been charged with first-degree manslaughter in Crutcher’s Sept. 16 death. 

Prosecutors allege in court documents that Shelby “reacted unreasonably” by escalating the situation with Crutcher, who she encountered after coming across his vehicle abandoned in the middle of a north Tulsa street. Videos from a police helicopter and a dashboard camera of the shooting showed Crutcher walking away from Shelby with his arms in the air, but the footage does not offer a clear view of when Shelby fired the single shot.

Shelby told investigators that Crutcher refused repeated requests to stop and get on his knees and that she feared for her life, believing Crutcher was going to kill her, according to an affidavit filed with the manslaughter charge.

An attorney for Shelby has said the officer believed Crutcher was using PCP, and a police spokesman has confirmed the drug was found in Crutcher’s SUV.

The death has been ruled a homicide.