The Oklahoma man who mistook his gun for a taser earlier this month, inadvertently killing a 44-year-old unarmed suspect, is a senior citizen reserve deputy who donated to the sitting sheriff’s reelection campaign.
Now the 73-year-old volunteer lawman is facing manslaughter charges in the killing of Eric Harris, a clearly unintended act which, at the very least, involved gross negligence.
“Robert Bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter involving culpable negligence,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler announced to reporters yesterday.
Kunzweiler explains, “Oklahoma law defines culpable negligence as ‘the omission to do something which a reasonably careful person would do, or the lack of the usual ordinary care and caution in the performance of an act usually and ordinarily exercised by a person under similar circumstances and conditions’."
The shooting death of suspected felon Harris by part-time deputy and wealthy insurance CEO Bates was caught on police cam. In the video’s accompanying audio he can be heard saying, “Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry.”
Another officer, though, is overheard cursing the victim.
Family members of the slain man complain that Tulsa County’s portrayal of their deceased relative as an armed and dangerous drug addict is only adding insult to injury.
They’ve also expressed serious doubts about Bates’ policing qualifications, as well as the so called “slip and capture” scenario offered by investigators.
Sheriffs records indicate, however, that Robert Bates has performed years of unimpeachable service for the department, along with hundreds of hours of special training.
Age is therefore most likely the biggest contributing factor in the lethal mix-up, since most paid cops are long retired by their seventies.
If convicted, this man who mistook his gun for a taser would be nearly 80-years-old when he’s finally released from prison. He is said to be upset at the tragic error he made, but declined to comment on the charges filed against him.
