A Tulsa woman thought she’d have to wait at least eight months to see police video of the shooting that killed her brother. Now, Karmen Glunt says she’s learned it doesn’t exist.
Police shot and killed Michael Glunt Feb. 8 near 51st and Sheridan after his mother called 911, saying he was experiencing a mental health crisis and had the family gun. Police say he pointed the gun at a responding officer, but his sister says he took the gun out of his pocket and raised his hands.
Karmen Glunt told The Eagle Wednesday she met with Mayor Monroe Nichols and Laurel Roberts, commissioner of public safety, a day earlier. She said they broke the news to her about the lack of police footage of the shooting. But that information only came after she filed an open records request and was quoted $3,000 to obtain a copy of the video.
“I let them know I put a second request in for on-site inspection to view the records,” she told The Eagle. “I received the email about an eight-month-plus wait and the mayor asked, ‘Has anybody told you that there’s no bodycam footage?’”
Hearing that was “shocking” for Glunt. She said Roberts then told her the officer who shot her brother “used a patrol rifle” but “what triggers their bodycam is their sidearm.”
Roberts also told her the officer didn’t use sirens — another automatic trigger for body and dashboard cameras — and didn’t manually turn the cameras on either, according to Glunt’s recollection of the conversation. The department has not identified the officer, citing an ongoing investigation.
The mayor’s office sent a statement to The Eagle Wednesday confirming there is no police video of the moments shots were fired, though there is footage from other officers who arrived after the shooting.
“In (Tuesday’s) meeting with the family, it was relayed that nothing in the incident response prompted the automatic operation of body-worn cameras,” the statement said. “These circumstances were tragic and the situation unfolded rapidly.”
Tulsa Police Department policy says “when practical, Tulsa Police personnel shall initiate recordings prior to the execution of Police Service.” When cameras can’t be turned on due to safety risks, recordings must be started “as soon as practical and reasonable,” according to the policy.
Capt. Richard Meulenberg, a TPD spokesman, told The Eagle he doesn’t “have specific details” about why the officer didn’t activate his bodycam “because I’ve not spoken to (the officer).”
He went on to say using the rifle was a “two-handed operation” and a decision likely made to reduce the chances of a bystander being hit with a stray bullet.
“A rifle is significantly, far more accurate than a pistol,” he said.
Meulenberg said he has watched videos from nearby businesses and they show Michael Glunt pointing his gun at the officer. However, the Glunt family has only seen cellphone video recorded by bystanders after the shooting.
Karmen Glunt said she asked the mayor and commissioner why she was quoted $3,000 to obtain the police video. That’s something they said they’d look into, she said. Meulenberg also said he wasn’t sure about the quote or the scope of the original records request.
Glunt planned to address Tulsa City Council members at their Wednesday evening meeting. She has questions she still wants answered.
“What are the protocols? If someone is called and they’re in a mental health crisis, what should families expect?” she said. “What’s the policy? But also, I’m asking for an external oversight committee to look into these cases.”
Until then, Glunt said she plans to keep asking questions on behalf of her brother.
“We worry about other families with family members that have autism, or, you know, any other kind of issues or scenarios where they might be similar to my brother’s,” she said. “We think that these processes should change, and that hopefully the more information about my brother’s scenario gets out, the more Tulsa will demand change.”
The mayor’s office said the officer remains on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing. The Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office is now reviewing the case.
“We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring a complete and objective investigation,” the mayor’s office said.
