Class led by ex-cop acquitted in fatal shooting criticized

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office is drawing protests for a training class it’s sponsoring to be taught by a white former police officer acquitted in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man.

Betty Shelby resigned from the Tulsa Police Department after her acquittal last year in the 2016 shooting of Terence Crutcher. Now a patrol officer for the Rogers County Sherriff’s Office, Shelby will teach a “critical incident” class Tuesday for the Tulsa County sheriff.

Sheriff Scott Walton says the class focuses on how to cope with the aftermath of an officer-involved shooting. Walton says such incidents are becoming more frequent and carry with them more mental health and substance abuse issues.

But the Rev. Rodney Goss, who led a protest rally Monday, calls the class insensitive.