TULSA, Okla. — A 73-year-old Oklahoma reserve deputy who authorities said fatally shot a suspect who was already subdued on the ground after confusing his stun gun and handgun turned himself in Tuesday.
Robert Bates, an insurance executive who was volunteering on an undercover operation in Tulsa, accidentally shot 44-year-old Eric Harris on April 2. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler charged Bates on Monday with second-degree manslaughter, punishable by up to four years in prison.
A video of the incident recorded by a deputy with a sunglass camera and released Friday shows a deputy chase and tackle Harris, who authorities said tried to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer.
A gunshot rang out as the deputy wrestled with Harris on the ground and a man says: “Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry.”
Harris was treated by medics at the scene and died at an area hospital.
Tulsa attorney Corbin Brewster said Bates would be booked at the Tulsa County Jail on Tuesday after the district attorney formally issues an arrest warrant. A spokeswoman with the attorney’s office said the warrant was filed Tuesday morning.
Brewster says attorneys have already planned bond for Bates.
Andre Harris, the victim’s brother, said he does not believe the shooting was racially motivated. Bates is white and Harris is black.
Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark, who investigated the shooting as an independent consultant at the request of the sheriff’s office, concluded that Bates had been so engrossed in the stress of the moment that he did not think clearly about what he had in his hand.
Bates, who was briefly a full-time officer with the Tulsa Police Department from 1964 to 1965, updates his state deputy certification every year and has completed more than the state-required hours for a reservist, said Tulsa County sheriff’s spokesman Shannon Clark. He said Bates is typically used in a support role, such as interviewing and paperwork, and does not usually engage suspects.
Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz has described Bates as a personal friend. Records show Bates has been a generous donor to the department since he became a reserve deputy in 2008.
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