Eric Harris shooting video: Robert Bates uses gun instead of taser
Eric Harris’s shooting was caught on video, as well as the nature of law enforcement officer, Robert Bates, who killed the man while fleeing.
Harris was accidently shot by the reserve deputy, apparently meaning to taser him.
Harris can be seen on the video released by NY Daily News (watch it below) running from police as the officer with the body cam gives chase, catching and taking Harris to the ground. Once on the ground the officer can be heard telling Harris, “Roll on your stomach now.”
Bates, 73, can then be heard yelling “Taser! Taser!” as if to inform the other officer that he was about to use his stun gun on Harris, when suddenly a gunshot rings out.
“I shot him!” the stunned reserve officer says, as he drops his gun onto the ground. “I’m sorry.”
Tragically the next moments reveal the nature of the law enforcement unit as the Harris is manhandled on the ground by the cops, after being accidentally shot, with an officer pressing his face into the ground with his knee.
An officer can then be seen screaming in the face of the bleeding gunshot victim yelling, “You ran! You f—kin ran! Shut the f— up!”
Subsequently, Harris can be heard screaming, “He shot me! He shot me, man. Oh, my god. I’m losing my breath.”
To which an officer gives a response “F–k your breath! Shut the f–k up!”
Harris was unarmed and died on April 2, about an hour after being shot.
Harris had been attempting to evade officers that were attempting to arrest him for selling a 9mm and ammunition to undercover cops, according to the NY Daily News.
Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark told reporters at a news conference on Friday that Harris, “absolutely was a threat when going down,” which is not what the new video shows.
Tulsa County Sheriff’s Capt. Billy McKelvey claimed the arresting officers were not aware Harris had been shot, despite the gunshot noise and Bates’ admission as seen on the video.
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 prison for up to four years if he’s found guilty.
Scott Wood, an attorney who represents Bates, 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.”
