Reserve deputy charged with manslaughter in Oklahoma shooting death
Bates, who is white, was charged Monday with second-degree manslaughter involving "culpable negligence" for the 2 April death of Eric Harris, a 44-year-old black man
Reserve Deputy Robert Bates, left, was involved in the shooting of Eric Harris, 44, during a sting operation
Prosecutors have charged a reserve sheriff's deputy with manslaughter in the death of a man who was fatally shot as he lay on the ground at the officer's feet — a shooting that has raised questions about the use of volunteer officers to supplement full-time police.
The sheriff's office has said Robert Bates, a 73-year-old insurance executive who was volunteering on an undercover operation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, mistakenly pulled out his handgun instead of his stun gun and shot the suspect as he struggled with deputies.
Bates, who is white, was charged Monday with second-degree manslaughter involving "culpable negligence" for the 2 April death of Eric Harris, a 44-year-old black man. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison.
It was the latest fatal shooting by a police officer to draw national attention after months of investigations and protests of other deaths in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, Los Angeles and other elsewhere.
A video of the incident shot by a deputy with a sunglass camera and released Friday at the request of the victim's family, shows a deputy chase and tackle Harris, who they said tried to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer.
