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Ray Tensing the University of Cincinnati police officer, who fatally shot a driver during a traffic stop plead not guilty Thursday to the charge of murder as well as voluntary manslaughter and was given $1 million bail.  When Tensing’s bail was set at $1 million the people in the courtroom erupted into applause.

According to the Hamilton County Court clerk’s website the former UC officer was released after posting 10 percent of that amount.  County sheriff’s spokesman Mike Robison confirmed that he was released at about 6:30 p.m.

Tensing’s defense attorney Stewart Mathews claims there are the officer’s body camera video of the traffic stop can be interpreted differently from the prosecutor’s version.  25 year old Tensing was fired not long after he was indicted and the two campus police officers who responded to the shooting Phillip Kidd and David Lindenschmidt have been put on paid leave while the university police department conducts an internal investigation.

On Thursday body camera footage from the two officers were released. Officer Kidd can be heard saying he saw Tensing being dragged and in other footage, Officer Lindenschmidt can be heard telling another officer that Tensing “went down, got tangled in the car and drew his gun and fired.”  However in Lindenschmidt’s video, Tensing can be seen on the ground and then getting up but there is no how he ended up on the ground is not seen.

City police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell gave his opinion on the issue saying “This officer was wrong, officers have to be held accountable” when they’re in the wrong.  The prosecutor who brought the murder charge, Joe Deters dismissed Tensing’s claim that he was dragged by DuBose’s car, saying the officer “purposely killed him.”

The victim was 43-year-old Sam DuBose.  Dubose was black and Tensing is white, however authorities have not focused on race as a factor in his death.

 

 

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