Posted on 04/11/2015 8:39:10 PM PDT by TigerClaws
An Oklahoma man's last few moments alive after he was accidentally shot last week by a deputy who meant to stun him with a Taser is seen in disturbing video released by police Friday.
"He shot me! He shot me, man. Oh, my god. I'm losing my breath," Eric Harris says as he struggles on the ground with police on top of him.
"F--- your breath," an officer can be heard saying. "Shut the f--- up!"
Reserve Deputy Robert Bates, 73, shouted "Taser! Taser!" before pulling the trigger on his gun, firing one round into Harris.
"I shot him!" the shocked former policeman says, dropping his gun from the recoil. "I'm sorry."
In the video, provided to the New York Daily News, a body-cam captures an officer in a foot pursuit of Harris who is subsequently tackled in the street.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Running from the cops used to be pretty common.
Guys used to have their own stories of running from cops on foot, in cars, on motorcycles, has that ended in post 60s America?
I’m sure some where Don Knotts is finding the humor in this.
Bookmark
so, clearly it’s an accidental shooting. Which means the left is going to go nuts over this unless the cop is charged with murder.
I don’t know how you “activate” (cock or ready for fire) a taser. It would seem that it would be different than a gun.
Something seems strange, because I would think the process would be different enough where the 73 year old would notice the process was the wrong process during the lead up to the shooting.
As a 73 year old, I would be just what this guy was, a reserve officer. I would allow the full-time younger officers to take the lead in a situation like this, if at all possible. If you’re backing up the officer and you have no choice, then you have no choice. I’d still be the last one to take action if there were others around. Of course that’s unless my fellow officer was in a life threatening situation. Then it’ all hands on deck.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed a higher level of respect for life. I don’t like to see anything killed these days. I’ll pick up a spider and move it outside. I’ll even try to move flies out an open door. I do kill them too though.
Shooting a human by accident would really bother me, and I’m a decade younger than this guy. By the time I’m 73 I’ll probably care even more about life.
What amuses me is how lots of posters on these threads do the old "nodding" thingee: "Yup, it war an accidental shooting."
Yeah, because if the shoe was on the other foot, and you, the peasant, "accidentally shot" someone in the same manner, the local prosecutor would be all understanding-like, and nod his head in the same way.
Or he'd come down on you like a ton of bricks.
Hello, McFly?
The old guy was in shock by his own actions. That was inordinately clear. Hard to believe, but it happened here.
You’re right he pulled the trigger. Even apologized to the suspect who had just minutes left to live. The suspect is dead, the officer will never be the same in this case. No winners here. A collosal deadly mistake.
I find the whole pay to play thing to be objectionable. Unless it is off the shores of Somalia....
yep- another tragedy- however, how about the newspapers start running the myriad stories of police beign shot at, killed, maimed, or the myriad stories of police helping people, going out of hteir way to help, even giving folks money from time to time who are down and out-?
How about running stories about cops running into burning buildings to save people? Putting their lives at risk to save pets even?
How about running the multitude of stories showing police safely apprehending VIOLENT criminals and saving lives I n the process while putting their own lives in danger to do so?
Oh hell no- It’s far more gratifying to IGNORE the innumerable acts of bravery, kindness, courage, self sacrifice and to glom onto a FEW bad cases and make it seem like the whole damn police forces are corrupt killers hell bent on racism
[[I’ll pick up a spider and move it outside.]]
I picked up a spider to move it outside once, and it bit me and I died... I’ll never do that again... stupid spiders!
If the cop management didn’t frequently use them as revenue agents, the positive actions would be way more promenent.
Ping
This sort of incident happens a lot more often than you know, because the media refuses to report it. Read this article:
http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2014/03/07/1977104/
The police in America are gradually being weaponized into a military force. We The People are considered The Enemy by police in many urban areas.
They have all that Bob. It’s TV shows like Cops, and a whole bunch of others. That stuff gets pretty big coverage with the TV crowd.
When I pick it up, I have actually scooped it up on a piece of paper. I go outside and let it slide off into the natural habitat.
I don’t like spiders. Snakes don’t bother me nearly as much.
BTW: Sorry to hear you got bitten and died.
I have to disagree with you. This is an error that is not likely to happen,but CERTAIN to happen because police tasers are made to feel and work just like their sidearms. In the heat of the moment, grabbing the wrong weapon will happen(and when tasers are used, it is always in the heat of the moment.
There's plenty of blame to go around from the old guy who shot him "by mistake" to the victim who apparently expected to resist arrest, run away and not have anything go wrong.
Which is one reason why a person shouldn't resist arrest.
don’t mention it, I’m better now
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.