University of Cincinnati police officer indicted in shooting of black motorist

A white University of Cincinnati police officer is facing murder charges in the alleged shooting of a black motorist.

Ray Tensing, 25, is accused of shooting and killing Samuel DuBose, 46, during a traffic stop near the college’s Ohio campus on July 19.

A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Tensing for his role in the incident earlier Wednesday, according to The New York Daily News.

{mosads}“This is the most asinine act I’ve ever seen,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said while announcing the indictment. “This does not happen in the United States.”

Deters claimed that Tensing “purposely killed” DuBose and “should never have been a police officer.”

Tensing allegedly stopped DuBose earlier this month over a missing front license plate.

He said in a police report filed over the incident that DuBose “dragged” him with his car, thus forcing Tensing to use his weapon.

Deters rejected those claims during Wednesday’s news briefing, saying that a video showed a different chain of events.

“[He] fell backward after he shot [DuBose] in the head,” Deters noted, adding that DuBose was slowly pulling away when Tensing discharged his firearm.

“He wasn’t dealing with someone who was wanted for murder,” he added of DuBose. “He was dealing with someone who didn’t have a front license plate.”

The New York Daily News reported on Wednesday that a warrant is now active for Tensing’s arrest. If convicted, the law enforcement official could face life in prison.

The University of Cincinnati closed its campus on Wednesday in anticipation of the grand jury’s decision.

Tensing joined the school’s police force in April 2014 after working in the Cincinnati suburb of Greenhills for three years, the report said. He received an overall satisfactory rating in his annual performance evaluation last April.

DuBose’s funeral took place in Cincinnati’s Church of the Living God on Tuesday.

His death is the latest in a string of high-profile incidents where black men have been killed after encounters with law enforcement.