Betty Shelby attorney says she had temporary hearing loss during Terence Crutcher shooting

The attorney for Betty Shelby, the Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer charged with first-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting Terence Crutcher, said Shelby had temporary hearing loss during the confrontation, and that's why she didn't hear another officer say he had a Taser ready, according to the Grio.

Attorney Scott Wood said Shelby experienced something called "auditory exclusion" that could sometimes happen in stressful situations. Wood said Shelby does not remember the siren of another police car or Officer Tyler Turnbough arrive on the scene and announce he had a Taser ready, the Grio reported. 

Wood also said Shelby's decision to shoot was justified, because she believed Crutcher was armed.

"If you think someone has a gun, you don't get your Taser out," he told the Grio.

Video of the shooting shows Crutcher was unarmed and had his hands up before he was stunned with a stun gun and then fatally shot by Shelby.  

The affidavit filed with Shelby's charge said Shelby "reacted unreasonably by escalating the situation from a confrontation with Mr. Crutcher, who was not responding to verbal commands and was walking away from her with his hands held up, becoming emotionally involved to the point that she over reacted," according to the Associated Press.

The case will go before a judge, who will decide if there's enough evidence for a trial. If Shelby is convicted, she faces four years to life in prison, the Associated Press reported.