The Tulsa County deputy who shot and killed a man instead of using his taser is now facing a charge of manslaughter.
Video shows Reserve Deputy Robert Bates announcing he is going to deploy his Taser after an undercover weapons sting on April 2, but then shooting Eric Courtney Harris in the back with a handgun.
In a written statement, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen A. Kunzweiler said Bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter involving culpable negligence. It's a felony charge that could land the volunteer deputy in jail for up to four years if he's found guilty.
An attorney who represents Bates, Scott Wood said the shooting was an "excusable homicide."
"We believe the video itself proves that it was an accident of misfortune that occurred while Deputy Bates was fulfilling his duties as a reserve deputy," Wood said. "He is not guilty of second-degree manslaughter."
Investigators' efforts to defend Bates and the other deputies involved in the arrest have sparked a mounting chorus of criticism online. Harris' family is demanding an independent investigation of what they call unjustified brutality.
They're also questioning why the 73-year-old Bates -- the CEO of an insurance company who volunteers as a certified reserve deputy -- was on the scene in such a sensitive and high-risk sting operation.
This article really interests me. It seems the case may go deeper than we thought at first. Ever since the Michael Brown case, more and more cases of police men shooting unarmed men are being reported. However the question really is:did these just start happening? Or has the media been reported them more often now? I can relate this to the shooting of Michael Brown.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/us/tulsa-police-shooting-eric-harris-deputy-charged/index.html
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