Posted on 06/01/2016 9:31:55 AM PDT by nickcarraway
A former Oklahoma deputy who said he meant to use his stun gun but instead fatally shot a suspect with his revolver received a four-year sentence Tuesday, KTUL reported.
Robert Bates, 74, got the maximum possible sentence.
A jury on April 27 found him guilty of second-degree manslaughter and recommended the four-year sentence.
At the time of the shooting, Bates was 73 and the CEO of an insurance company.
He had worked for the Tulsa Police Department for a year in the 1960s and had been a reserve deputy with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office since 2008.
On April 2, 2015, he was providing backup and parked several blocks away from an undercover officer conducting a sting operation to try to catch Eric Courtney Harris illegally selling a gun.
As deputies rolled up to arrest Harris that day, the suspect bolted and was pursued by officers, who caught him and took him to the ground.
Bates got out of his vehicle and fired his pistol into Harris’ back.
“Oh! I shot him! I’m sorry!” Bates said, as captured in a video of the shooting.
Authorities said Bates thought he pulled out his Taser but “inadvertently” fired his gun.
The death of Harris is one of several nationally known cases in which a white law enforcement officer killed an unarmed black man.
These cases have galvanized the public over tactics that police are trained to use.
“The death of Harris is one of several nationally known cases in which a white law enforcement officer killed an unarmed black man.”
I remember reading about this four years ago, before the Fraud’s racist war on America intensified and every news article must now specify the race of LEO, unless they’re black.
:: the suspect bolted and was pursued by officers, who caught him and took him to the ground.
Bates got out of his vehicle and fired his pistol into Harris’ back. ::
If deputies (plural) have him on the ground, why would anyone think that a TAZER is needed, let alone a gun.
Justice is served, appropriately.
He shouldn’t have been a part time deputy on a felony arrest for gun trafficking. He should have been directing traffic at the fair or something. That’s pretty serious stuff for an old man like that.
The old sheriff should get a good deal of the blame for his good old boy hands off policies. The sad part is he may die in prison because of his health.
Really... Shouldn’t the people who designed the taser, trained the officer, and made the rules be responsible?
Good! Die in prison, scumbag.
Anyone who can’t tell the difference between a revolver and a taser should have neither.
“Good! Die in prison, scumbag.”
How do you know the deputy was a “scumbag?” The guy that they were attempting to arrest was a “scumbag.” I agree the reserve deputy needed some punishment but four years in prison seems a bit much. I live near Tulsa and feel that the old reserve deputy should not have even been on this arrest. However, you labeling him a “scumbag” is a bit much. I hope you never find yourself in a similar situation and have to rely on the judgement of 12.
I’ve seen many instances where a tazer is used on a grounded suspect that continues to resit commands.
Just laying on one of your hands can result in taser use.
But of course, you can’t just whip out your pistol and shoot them.
Cop killed someone without cause so sentence is deserved.
Jus a note: A 4 year sentence in Oklahoma isn’t really 4 years if you behave. In fact, it can be a LOT less. See https://www.ok.gov/doc/documents/SERVICE%20OF%20SENTENCE%20BROCHURE.pdf
That is somewhat of a just sentence....
But, anyone with “hands-on” at the time of TAZER would necessarily receive the voltage also.
Not a good decision by (off-duty/retired) LEO.
Not from what I have seen.
If cops touching someone being tazed feel the voltage, they give no indication of that.
Just look at videos of officers being tazed in training. They usually have two other officers on either side of them holding them up while they are being tazed, and I have never seen any indication or heard them say that they felt any of it, whereas the officer being tazed in obviously in distress.
Give him enough money to buy the county sheriff a whole buncha new cop cars and stuff, and... PAY TO PLAY, HERE WE COME.
Total dereliction of duty on the part of the Sheriff, who IMO ought to be next up on charges. And I voted for him. Training records were falsified and all kinds of ugly stuff like that, just to benefit the sheriff's personal benefactor so he could go play cop.
Anyway, to answer your question... the day of the stakeout, Bates shows up all suited up and ready to go. Dozed in his car for awhile before the late Mr. Harris shows up to make the deal. (A deal for an illegal gun, if you hadn't heard.)
It all goes down, Harris tries to make a run for it and doesn't get far - two strapping young deputies chase him down and get him down to the ground... Just as they're grappling around with him to get the cuffs on him, here comes Bob Bates... he wants to be part of the action too, you know.
Hollers TAZER!! Draws, and... BLAM!!
A .38, or .357 bullet, (I wouldn't know which; he was carrying one of those scandium wonder S&W .357 revolvers instead of the department standard Glock) goes thru Harris' back and out his chest. Within inches of the face of the deputy who was trying to arrest him fair and square.
And yes, Bates is white and Harris, say whatever one might say about him, was black.
So yeah. White cop, black suspect, being subdued by two other cops, and that's where he died. Let 'em say whatever they're gonna say.
Maybe I was harsh, but a 73 YO CEO on a ‘joyride’ where he got to taze a subdued person - disgusting.
All because he was a deputy 30 years ago for one year.
“Friend of the Sheriff” and “Made a lot of donations”
Check out the story:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/27/us/tulsa-deputy-manslaughter-trial/
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