The white campus cop accused of murdering an unarmed black man during a traffic stop has pleaded not guilty, claiming he ‘feared for his life’ and acted in self-defense. University of Cincinnati officer Ray Tensing, 25, made his first appearance in front of a judge after he was indicted for killing Samuel DuBose, 43, near the campus on July 19.
Wearing a striped prison uniform and handcuffs he pleaded not guilty, but was held in custody under a $1million bond as he is facing life in prison.
DuBose’s supporters cheered in court after it was announced he would remain behind bars. It prompted the judge to intervene, warning them they should conduct themselves properly in a courtroom. On Wednesday Tensing was indicted on murder charges after horrifying body camera footage emerged of him shooting DuBose, a father of 13, in the head after stopping him for not having a front licence plate.
It exposed holes in his account of the deadly incident. He claimed he acted in self-defense after being dragged along the road by the car.
But the footage appears to show he fired the deadly shot almost immediately after DuBose started rolling away from the scene. Tensing’s first court appearance came hours after his attorney said charging his client with murder is ‘absolutely unwarranted.’ Stewart Mathews said, ‘Murder is the purposeful killing of another. There wasn’t any purpose to kill this fella.’
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