The Tulsa police officer who shot and killed Michael Glunt Feb. 8 has been cleared of any wrongdoing following a district attorney’s investigation.
Police say Officer Ryan Broostin fired his rifle, killing Glunt after responding to a call about a man with a gun near 51st and Sheridan.
“We received a clearance letter from the district attorney’s office with their findings in the case, and (Broostin) is on active duty,” Capt. Richard Meulenberg, a Tulsa Police Department spokesman told The Eagle Thursday.
A statement from the DA’s office said “based upon the reports submitted, the shooting of Glunt was justified under Oklahoma law.”
Meulenberg also shared new details with The Eagle, saying Glunt fired his weapon first. Until now, TPD only said Glunt pointed his gun at Broostin before the officer fired.
“One thing that has not been discussed in any detail is that there were two witnesses that saw the suspect fire at the officer, and the officer fired in response to being shot at,” he said Thursday.
The DA’s office said Broostin “located Glunt and observed him to have his hands in his pockets.”
He then “instructed Glunt to remove his hands from his pockets. Instead, Glunt pulled out a hand gun and shot it at the officer.” “An independent eye-witness confirmed Glunt pulling his gun and firing it multiple times at the police officer,” the statement reads.
Meulenberg said investigators used surveillance video from nearby businesses to find witnesses. He said Glunt’s gun had “two spent rounds in it, so he had fired at least twice from his revolver.”
Meulenberg said it wasn’t the department’s place to share that information while the DA’s office was conducting their investigation.
“Even though we knew about it, we wanted to let the district attorney’s office do their investigation, and so we never made a statement to the general public,” he told The Eagle.
Glunt’s family told The Eagle this is the first time they’ve heard he fired shots.
That day, Glunt’s mother called 911, saying he was experiencing a mental health crisis and had the family gun. His mother was on the scene when he was shot, later recounting that he took the gun out of his pocket and raised his hands when the officer arrived.
Through our reporting, we learned there is no body-worn or dashboard camera video of the shooting. However, other officers who arrived moments later were recording. That video has not yet been released.
Meulenberg said an internal affairs investigation is ongoing, but the DA’s probe has ended.
The Eagle requested an interview with Broostin, who graduated from the police academy in 2023. Meulenberg declined our request, saying he is the department spokesperson.
The Glunt family tells The Eagle they are working with an attorney to determine their next steps.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include statement’s from the DA’s office.
