Officer Fatally Shoots Man During Cincinnati Traffic Stop

Samuel Dubose died Sunday after he was shot in the head during a traffic stop for not having a front license plate.

What began Sunday evening as a routine traffic stop in Cincinnati ended with a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man in the head.

Hamilton Co. prosecutor expects assessment in fatal traffic stop shooting done by next week. http://t.co/sOFHsrR9Om

University of Cincinnati Officer Ray Tensing pulled over Samuel Dubose around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to WKRC. The stop was initiated because Dubose was missing the front license plate on his car, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Police say that when asked for his driver's license, Dubose handed over an unopened alcoholic beverage instead. The two men then reportedly struggled through the car door.

At some point, Tensing shot Dubose in the head. Dubose's car then continued a block down the street before stopping. It was not immediately clear if he was armed, and local authorities did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.

The University of Cincinnati police force and the city's police department have a mutual aid agreement that allows university officers to function as law enforcement outside campus grounds.

A memorial at Rice & Valencia where a UC Police Officer shot and killed a man. Sign reads "RIP Samuel Dubose" @WCPO

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters has announced that he is looking into the shooting, and plans to have a review finished next week.

Investigators are reviewing the footage of a body camera that Tensing was wearing at the time of the shooting, as well as video from nearby surveillance cameras.

Officials have not released the footage to the public.

Friends and family say Dubose was a music producer who had in recent years being moving on from his troubled past.

According to WKRC-TV, Dubose was a 43-year-old father of 13 children.

Dubose had also been arrested 75 times over the past 20 years for everything from driving without a license, to having illegally tinted windows, as well as drug charges, the Enquirer reported.

However, his cousin, Ebony Johnson, told the Enquirer that over the last two years he had stopped using drugs, was turning his life around, and "was living his heart."

His mother Audrey Dubose also said he was not violent.

"He got stopped a lot, but he never tried to fight," she said.

Family and friends held a vigil for Dubose on Monday near the spot where he died.

Audrey Dubose, Samuel's mother, prays with a crowd at the corner where her son was shot by a police officer @Enquirer

Tensing, who is white, has not yet spoken with investigators.

Due to union contracts, Tensing was not immediately required to speak with authorities about the shooting. A 48-hour period after shooting was set to expire Tuesday evening, after which University of Cincinnati Police Chief Jason Goodrich said he hoped Tensing would provide a statement.

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