:: 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.
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.
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.