Questions are being raised about the duties performed by members of the Tulsa, Oklahoma reserve sheriff program following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a 73-year-old deputy who said he mistook his handgun for a Taser.
Reserve Deputy Robert Bates
REUTERS/Tulsa County Sheriff's Office
Eric Courtney Harris
REUTERS/Tulsa County Sheriff's Office
Questions are being raised about the Tulsa Sheriff's Office's deputy reserve program following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a volunteer 73-year-old deputy.
The reserve deputy, Robert "Bob" Bates, was charged with second-degree manslaughter Monday by the Tulsa County District Attorney's office for killing Eric Courtney Harris during an undercover operation on April 2.
The Tulsa Sheriff's Office said Bates accidentally killed Harris when he reached for his handgun instead of his Taser. Bates faces a potential maximum prison sentence of four years.
"I shot him! I'm sorry," Bates can be heard saying in video of the incident. Sheriffs can then be heard cursing at Harris, as he writhes and complains that he has been shot. He later died in hospital.
The charges were announced Monday after the Sheriff's Office hired Jim Clark, a Tulsa police sergeant, to investigate the matter as an independent contractor, with Clark announcing on Friday that he believed Bates had committed no crime.
The Harris family's attorneys on Monday said the announcement of charges was evidence that the initial investigation was not sufficiently independent.
"I think it was refreshing to see what happens when an objective, independent investigation was conducted," attorney Daniel Smolen said. "That's the difference between an organization like the Tulsa County District Attorney's office and the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office that financially benefits from Mr. Bates' involvement."
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1I7hWNv
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