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July 19, 2017

Cincinnati: No Retrial for White Officer Who Shot Black Motorist
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Back in the United States, a prosecutor in Cincinnati, Ohio, said
Tuesday he would not pursue a third murder trial for white former police
officer Ray Tensing, who shot African American Samuel Du Bose in the
head in July 2015, after pulling him over for having a missing front
license plate. Two previous trials ended with hung juries. This is
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters.

Joseph Deters: "After discussing this matter with multiple jurors, both
black and white, and-they have, to a person, said to us that we will
never get a conviction in this case."

Deters's decision was condemned by the family of Samuel Du Bose. This is
Samuel Du Bose's sister Trina Allen, speaking outside the Hamilton
County Courthouse just after learning there would be no retrial of
Officer Tensing.

Trina Allen: "If you're black in the United States of America, and the
likelihood is a cop won't get indicted, they're just not going to bother
with this anymore. That's what they're pretty much saying. They would
like to have him go to jail, but they will not be trying to do anything
if it's a popularity contest. That's basically what we were just told.
Since we've got more racists in Hamilton County than not, we can't get a
conviction. That's basically what the prosecutor told us."

Samuel Du Bose was shot exactly two years ago today. After the killing,
Officer Tensing stated he opened fire after his arm was caught in Du
Bose's car door, while Du Bose drove away. The statement was directly
contradicted by Tensing's body cam video. At the time of the killing,
Tensing was wearing a T-shirt under his uniform emblazoned with a
Confederate battle flag.


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