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 Hamilton County prosecutor Joseph Deters called the July 19
killing of Samuel Dubose, 43, "senseless" and "totally unwarranted."
Ray Tensing, the 25-year-old white officer who shot Dubose in the
head, "wasn't dealing with someone who was wanted for murder,"
Deters told a news conference. "He was dealing with someone who
didn't have a front license plate. This is, in the vernacular, a
pretty chicken crap stop."
The incident was the latest in a series of fatal confrontations
between law enforcement and unarmed individuals across the United
States that have raised questions about the use of deadly force by
police, especially against minorities.
Tensing was to be arraigned at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday in the
Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas and could be sentenced to life
in prison if convicted.
Cincinnati officials braced for possible unrest after the grand
jury's decision was announced, and the university closed down for
the day as a precaution.
A racially mixed crowd of about 300 people braved a heavy rain
Wednesday evening to attend a peaceful "Black Lives Matter" rally
outside the courthouse, where relatives of Dubose and supporters
welcomed the indictment but called for punishment of other officers
involved in the incident.
 Several dozen protesters peeled off from the rally and marched to
police headquarters, some chanting, "This is what democracy looks
like," but there were no immediate reports of any trouble.
A body-camera video that Deters played for reporters showed how the
traffic stop of Dubose escalated into deadly violence. After failing
to provide a driver's license at Tensing's request, Dubose tried to
prevent Tensing from opening the car door as the officer ordered him
to remove his seat belt.
The car started slowly rolling forward as Tensing reached in and
yelled for him to stop. The officer then pulled his gun and fired
once, killing Dubose.
AN 'ASININE ACT'
Deters said Tensing was not dragged by the car, as the officer had
reported, but instead he fell backwards after shooting Dubose in the
head. Deters said Tensing should have let Dubose drive away as he
had his license plate number already.
"I've been doing this for 30 years," Deters said after meeting with
Dubose's family. "This is the most asinine act I've ever seen a
police officer make, totally unwarranted."
Tensing "should never have been a police officer," he added.
Audrey Dubose, the victim's mother, praised the indictment.
"I'm so thankful that everything was uncovered," she told reporters.
"I thought it was going to be covered up."
Asked about a second officer who supported Tensing's account of the
incident, Deters said that was under investigation.
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Attending Wednesday's rally, Jeanette Moeller, who went to school
with Dubose, called the indictment monumental.
"I believe if it hadn't been for the body cam, we wouldn't be here,"
she said. "We would be rioting instead of being here doing something
great, trying to show some support for the family and to thank Mr.
Deters."
Tensing's attorney, Stew Mathews, told Fox 19 television in
Cincinnati that his client was being "thrown under the bus" by the
prosecutor and the school. A second video will show more of the
incident, he said, according to Fox 19.
Tensing was fired by the university police on Wednesday, and school
officials said they were discussing providing educational support
for Dubose's children.
The incident was the latest in a string of deaths of black men at
the hands of police in the past year, including Michael Brown in
Ferguson, Missouri, Eric Garner in New York City, Freddie Gray in
Baltimore and Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Prosecutors brought charges against officers in Baltimore and North
Charleston.
Cincinnati was convulsed with riots in 2001 after police shot an
unarmed 19-year-old black man who was wanted for traffic violations.
The Cincinnati police went through extensive reform after that
incident, and an independent agency was set up to handle complaints
against the police.
Dubose's family saw the body camera video on Wednesday for the first
time and met with Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley.
Deters said campus security should be taken over by the city police
department, whose officers, he said, are better trained.
Dubose's family has hired attorney Mark O'Mara, who represented
George Zimmerman, the Florida man who was acquitted in the 2012
shooting death of black teenager Trayvon Martin.
(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and
Steve Bittenbender in Louisville, Kentucky; Writing by Fiona Ortiz;
Editing by Bill Trott, Cynthia Osterman and Ken Wills)
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