Officer charged in Sam DuBose shooting used stun gun on motorist in 2012
Posted by jhingarat21 on 31st Jul 2015
Officer Ray Tensing used the stun gun on the motorist when he was a member of the Greenhills police department. Photograph: John Minchillo/AP
A fired University of Cincinnati police officer charged with murder in the shooting of a motorist during a traffic stop once used a stun gun on another motorist he said resisted arrest and assaulted him.
Officer Ray Tensing pleaded not guilty Thursday in the 19 July shooting of 43-year-old Samuel DuBose in Cincinnati, and a judge set his bond at $1m. Late Thursday afternoon, local media reported Tensing posted 10% of his bond and left jail around 6.45pm.
Records from the Greenhills police department show that Tensing used a stun gun while working there in January 2012. Another motorist said he saw the suspect fighting Tensing and trying to get away, and Tensing used the stun gun after the suspect continued fighting despite warnings.
Tensing reported cuts and bruises to some fingers, but few details are in the 2012 records. Greenhills’ police chief told the Associated Press that Tensing did a good job while at that department for over three years.
Meanwhile two other University of Cincinnati police officers who responding to the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
Phillip Kidd and David Lindenschmidt were placed on administrative leave on Thursday, according to Lonnie Soury, a spokesman for the school.
Kidd could not immediately be reached and it was not known whether he has legal representation. The Fraternal Order of Police in Cincinnati did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the content of the videos.
The University of Cincinnati police report said it is unclear how much Lindenschmidt witnessed.
Tensing was fired by university police on Wednesday. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Records show Kidd and another officer present at DuBose’s death, Eric Weibel,were also involved in the death of another unarmed black man in 2010.
Tensing was indicted on Wednesday on murder and voluntary manslaughter charges in the 19 July death of Samuel DuBose, 43, who was shot in the head during a traffic stop. Tensing, who turned himself in and spent the night in jail in isolation, appeared in court in gray, striped prison clothes.
In announcing the indictment on Wednesday, Hamilton County prosecutor Joseph Deters said Tensing was not dragged by DuBose’s car as the officer had claimed to justify the shooting.
Deters’ office on Thursday released videos from body cameras worn by two university police officers who witnessed the shooting. The videos show the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
On the video from the body camera worn by Kidd, Tensing’s fellow officer, Tensing repeatedly says he was dragged by DuBose’s car and that he got his arm stuck in the car. Kidd is heard saying: “Yeah, I saw that.”
A few minutes later, an officer from Cincinnati’s city police force asks Kidd whether he saw Tensing being dragged, and Kidd responds: “Yes.” In the official incident report on DuBose’s shooting, officer Kidd was quoted as saying he saw Tensing being dragged.
Terina Allen, the victim’s sister, said the video evidence from Tensing proved that DuBose was a peaceful man.
“Sam would have never did to that police officer what that police officer did to Sam,” Allen said.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
