Oklahoma: Prosecutors have charged reserve deputy Robert Bates — who fatally shot 44-year-old Eric Harris after he mistook his Taser for his handgun — with second-degree manslaughter.
73-year-old Bates was named Reserve Deputy of the Year in 2011.
Undercover officers were pursuing Harris on suspicion of trying to illegally sell a gun in a sting operation.
When Harris fled police chased him on foot – then Bates is heard admitting to shooting him.
Harris’ brother, Andre, together with his attorneys, stopped short of calling his brother innocent.
“He was non-violent, he was peaceful, he was loving, he was caring, and he was my brother that I’ll never see again till I see him in heaven.”,
The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department uses volunteer reserve deputies who have full powers and authorities.
73-year-old Bates works as an insurance executive, and was named Reserve Deputy of the Year in 2011.
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