Close Topic Options

Eric Courtney Harris - Police Shooting

A reserve deputy in Oklahoma told investigators that he was "In a state of shock and disbelief" After realizing he fired his gun rather than his Taser at a man authorities were trying to restrain.

Tulsa County's district attorney said Reserve Deputy Robert Bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter involving culpable negligence in the death of Eric Courtney Harris.

In a statement to investigators, Bates said that when he tried to use his stun gun after an undercover weapons sting on April 2, he believed there was a "Strong possibility" That Harris had a gun. Harris was later determined to be unarmed. Ref. CNN

Shooting Police Harris Courtney Eric

Isn't a taser a much lighter weapon and feel than a gun? How can you, as a trained officer of the law, mix up the two and be shocked about it later?

Eric Courtney Harris - Police Shooting History & Civil Business Politics

An internal inquiry by the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office in 2009 concluded that Reserve Deputy Robert Bates was shown special treatment and that training policies were violated regarding his role with the agency.

Bates is the volunteer deputy who fatally shot suspect Eric Harris instead of stunning him with a Taser on April 2.

A Harris family lawyer provided documents to CNN from the 2009 inquiry, which also found that supervisors intimidated employees to disregard policies to the benefit of Bates. Ref. CNN

Shooting Police Harris Courtney Eric

Ex-reserve deputy Robert Bates, who says he mistook his revolver for his stun gun, has been found guilty of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Eric Courtney Harris last year.

Bates, who was a volunteer with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, never denied killing Harris in April 2015.

'Oh! I shot him! I'm sorry!" Bates said as captured in a video of the shooting during a sting operation to try to catch Harris illegally selling a gun. Ref. CNN.