What kind of police officer is Ray Tensing? Body camera footage just released revealed the on-duty demeanor of the man who fatally shot an African-American man during a traffic stop this month in Cincinnati.
Tensing shot and killed 43-year-old Sam Dubose on July 19 when Dubose refused to exit his vehicle. The initial incident report revealed Tensing felt his life was in danger because Dubose began driving away, dragging the officer with his car. Dubose had been pulled over for having no front license plate on his vehicle.
Seven body camera videos from June 2015 — totaling over two hours in length — were released to Cincinnati's WCPO after a public records request. The footage revealed Tensing to be generally courteous with people he's citing for various violations.
The footage showed a total of six encounters the officer had during June, with Tensing initiating four and aiding other officers in two cases. Three encounters were for motorists driving with a suspended license; one was for jaywalking; one was for public intoxication; and one was with a woman who wanted to go to a hospital.
The videos released by the University of Cincinnati Police Department — of which Tensing in an employee — were the only ones deemed important enough by the department to save in its system.
As of July 28, footage of the traffic stop that ended in Dubose's shooting has not been released by the Hamilton County (Ohio) prosecutor's office.
See a portion of the body camera footage from June below:
