White Cincinnati campus cop indicted for murder of Black man

White Cincinnati campus cop indicted for murder of Black man

Samuel DeBose  and Ray Tensing

      In an historical move, a white Cincinnati, Ohio campus police officer was indicted for murder Wednesday afternoon in the shooting death of a local Black man on July 19.

In a stunning move, Hamilton County, Ohio prosecutor Joe Deters completed his investigation into the death of Black Cincinnatian Samuel DuBose by white University of Cincinnati campus police officer Ray Tensing. Deters did not pull any punches when he stood to address the news media at his press conference.

“I have concluded that officer Ray Tensing purposely killed Samuel DuBose, said Deters, who then added, “He should never have been a cop.”

The July 19 incident in question began when Dubose was driving a car that had only a license plate on the back of the vehicle. Ohio state law requires both front and back tags. Officer Tensing said that he pulled DuBose over for a routine traffic stop when things got out of hand. It was noted that Tensign pulled DuBose over more than a mile away from campus.

After the stop, Tensing alleges that DuBose began to pull off, and that the officer was dragged by the car. The prosecutor’s office reviewed the video from the incident, but Deters did not say that the officer was dragged.

However, it is clear that officer Tensing fired one shot into the driver’s side window striking DuBose in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officer Tensing was put on paid administrative leave by the University of Cincinnati police department, and he was arrested this afternoon without incident following the indictment. Deter said prior to City of Cincinnati police officers going to arrest Tensing, “The gentleman was on paid administrative leave, but now he will be on administrative leave in the Hamilton County Jail.”

The University of Cincinnati campus was shut down completely for the day in anticipation of this afternoon’s announcement, as tensions had been high in the city DuBose’s death.

No arraignment date for officer Tensing had been set prior to Westside Gazette deadline.