Tulsa Deputy Found Guilty of Manslaughter for "Inadvertent" Shooting of Unarmed Man
On Wednesday, a former Tulsa deputy who fatally shot an unarmed, restrained suspect after mistaking his gun for his Taser was convicted of second-degree manslaughter, the Associated Press reports.
Last April, volunteer reserve deputy Robert Bates, then 73, shot and killed Eric Harris after officers had already pinned him to the ground. In a disturbing video of the incident later released by police, Bates can be heard apologizing for firing his weapon while officers ignore Harris’ pleas for help.
It would later come to light that Bates, a wealthy insurance executive, had donated thousands of dollars in cash and equipment to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, which allegedly falsified training records for the volunteer deputy. From NBC News:
The shooting of Harris, who was black, inserted Tulsa into the national debate over police attitudes toward black people. It also led to the indictment and resignation of Sheriff Stanley Glanz, Bates’ longtime friend, for allowing a non-officer to take part in a violent law enforcement operation.
Bates told TODAY last year that accusations that he wasn’t properly trained and was allowed to “play cop” were “unbelievably unfair.” He said that when he heard the gunshot, he thought, “Oh, my God, what has happened
Harris now faces up to four years in prison for Harris’ death. After delivering their verdict, jurors recommended he receive the maximum sentence.