Crump, who has represented multiple families across the country in police use-of-force cases, was among four attorneys speaking on behalf of the Crutcher family at a Tuesday afternoon news conference at the Tulsa County Courthouse. He said the allegation about Crutcher possessing drugs shouldn’t be seen as cause for Shelby to fire her gun.

“Let us not be thrown a red herring and to say because something was found in the car that is justification to shoot him,” Crump said. Police released on Monday two 911 calls made Friday reporting that an SUV had been abandoned in the middle of 36th Street North, with one anonymous caller telling a dispatcher that a man she saw there might be “smoking something.” Jordan said that day that Shelby “happened upon” the stopped vehicle while en route to an unrelated call.

Attorney Scott Wood, who represents Shelby, told the World previously that his client believed that Crutcher was under the influence of PCP, based on things she learned during drug-recognition expert training. Helicopter camera footage also showed that an unidentified officer said Crutcher “looked like a bad dude” who “could be on something” shortly before he hit the ground.