TULSA, Okla. — A man can be heard apologizing and admitting to shooting a man in a video released at the weekend that documents the killing of a black suspect by a white reserve sheriff’s deputy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Police have said that the 73-year-old Tulsa County reserve deputy Robert Bates thought he was holding a stun gun, not his handgun, when he fired at 44-year-old Eric Harris in the April 2 incident.
Video, part 2
The video, shot by deputies with sunglass cameras and released over the weekend on the request of the victim’s family, shows a deputy chase and tackle Harris, whom they said tried to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer. A deputy is heard telling Harris, “I need you to roll on your stomach.” A woman can be heard saying, “Stop fighting.”
As the deputy subdues Harris on the ground, a gunshot rings out and a man says: “Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry.”
Harris screams: “He shot me. Oh, my God,” and a deputy replies: “You (expletive) ran. Shut the (expletive) up.”
When Harris says he’s losing his breath, a deputy replies, “(Expletive) your breath.”
Harris was treated by medics at the scene and died in a Tulsa hospital.
Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office officials said Bates believed he was holding a Taser and intended to incapacitate Harris when the fatal shot was fired.
An attorney for Harris’ family, Dan Smolen, did not return a telephone call Sunday seeking comment. The family has not commented publicly since the video’s release.
Reserve deputies are generally volunteers, often with other full-time jobs. Bates is an insurance company executive assigned to the Violent Crimes Task Force.
The sheriff’s office told the Tulsa World that it has more than 100 reserve deputies, who “have full powers and authority” of a deputy while on duty, and that it’s not unusual for them to be on an assignment with units such as the Violent Crimes Task Force.
Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark, who investigated the shooting at the request of the sheriff’s office, concluded that Bates had been under the influence of a phenomenon known as “slips and capture,” which occurs when a person’s behavior “slips” off the intended course of action because it’s “captured” by a stronger response.
Results of the investigation have been turned over to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file criminal charges.
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