Sam DuBose was 534th person shot dead by police in U.S. this year

James Leggate

11:47 AM, Jul 30, 2015

Sam DuBose

Courtesy of the DuBose family

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CINCINNATI – When UC Officer Ray Tensing killed Sam DuBose July 19, DuBose became the 534th person shot dead by police in the Unites States this year, according to data compiled by WCPO news partner The Washington Post.

Since DuBose was killed, police have shot and killed more than 20 additional people across the country, according to Thursday's data.

In Ohio, there have been 14 fatal shootings by police so far this year. In those cases, 11 of the dead had been armed, two had been unarmed and one case was unclear in The Posts’s data.

Three of the fatal shootings by police occurred in Cincinnati, all since June. DuBose was the only unarmed victim here. Across the country, most of those shot dead by police – 468 to date – were armed with deadly weapons, according to The Post’s data.

July has seen the most fatal shootings by police in 2015, with 95 so far. That’s up from 64 in June, the month with the least fatal shootings so far this year.

Over the past 10 years, fewer than 60 officers have been charged for fatally shooting someone while on duty. Like the Tensing case, there has typically been a factor that made the case exceptional, like “a victim shot in the back, a video recording of the incident, incriminating testimony from other officers or allegations of a cover-up,” according to The Post.

A grand jury indicted Tensing on charges of murder and involuntary homicide after viewing a body camera video showing the shooting and the events leading up to it when Tensing pulled over DuBose for a missing front license plate.

Attorneys who spoke with WCPO said a conviction for Tensing seemed likely because of the body camera video evidence.

“That body camera video is the best witness that there is for the prosecution,” criminal defense attorney Norm Aubin said.

The average punishment for officers convicted in fatal shootings is four years in prison, according to The Post. Some sentences have been just a few weeks.

If convicted on the murder charge, Tensing would face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he would seek a life sentence for Tensing. On the lesser voluntary manslaughter charge, Tensing faces as much as 14 years in prison.

Tensing pleaded not guilty Thursday morning. He was due back in court Aug. 19.