This is a controversial article for some which some will find difficult. Please read with an open mind.
After the notorious Tulsa police shooting last month, Officer Betty Shelby claimed she shot an unarmed, high-on-PCP suspect partly due to “auditory exclusion”. That is, she fired because she thought the suspect was reaching for a weapon, but didn’t realize an officer by her side was about to tase him because she didn’t hear the officer announce “Taser!” She also didn’t hear additional officers arrive, and didn’t even hear her own shot. Shelby claims her hearing loss was due to a physiological response to stress, which made her literally go deaf for a short time.
In the past, I’ve heard some incredulous reactions to the idea that one can lose their hearing in a stressful situation. No doubt, some don’t believe Officer Shelby’s claim. So I’d like to provide a layman’s explanation of what auditory exclusion is, when it happens, and why it’s important to understand. I’ll also expand a bit on survival stress reactions in general.
I’d like to add: I’m not taking a stance on this shooting. I have my concerns about it, and while I’m not screaming for Officer Shelby’s head I’m also not arguing against the manslaughter charge filed against her. All I’m doing is explaining that auditory exclusion and other physiological effects of stress are real, and happen often. In one study of 113 police shootings, “Diminished sound was officers’ most commonly experienced perceptual distortion, reported in 82 percent of the cases either before or after the shooting, or in some cases both.”
By Chris Hernandez
