Cincinnati police officer indicted in shooting death of black man

By Steve Bittenbender CINCINNATI (Reuters) - A University of Cincinnati police officer was indicted Wednesday on murder charges in the fatal shooting last week of an unarmed black motorist who was stopped because of a missing front license plate. Hamilton County prosecutor Joseph Deters called the July 19 death 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 police confrontations across the United States that have raised questions about police use of force against minorities. Tensing will be arraigned at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Thursday in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas and could face the possibility of life in prison if convicted. Cincinnati officials braced for possible unrest after the announcement of the grand jury's decision and the university shut in case of protests. A body camera video that Deters played for reporters showed Tensing stopped Dubose for a missing front license plate. Dubose failed to provide a driver's license as Tensing requested then tried to prevent Tensing, who told Dubose to take his seat belt off, from opening the car door. 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. 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 said without elaborating. 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." She said she could forgive Tensing for her son's death Asked about a second police officer who supported Tensing's account of the incident, Deters said his office was investigating that. 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. RIOTS AFTER 2001 SHOOTING 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. The family urged calm in the community, according to Cranley spokesman Kevin Osborne. Deters said the university should not have its own police force and city police, who he said were better trained, should take over campus security. Cranley said in a subsequent news conference the University of Cincinnati police department will be independently reviewed. 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 and Cynthia Osterman)