Reserve Deputy Robert Bates Turns Himself in at Tulsa Jail for Stun-Gun Mix Up
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ABC News(TULSA, Okla.) — A 73-year-old reserve deputy turned himself in at the Tulsa, Oklahoma County Jail Tuesday on a second-degree manslaughter charge in connection with the deadly shooting of a suspect.
Robert Bates, an unpaid, volunteer reserve deputy, “shot the victim with a Smith & Wesson Revolver, which at the time he shot it he believed it to be a Taser gun,” according to court filings.
The suspect, Eric Harris, died after the April 2 shooting.
Bates’ attorney Clark Brewster spoke briefly Tuesday, saying the charges are unwarranted.
Before the charge was announced Monday, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office called the shooting “inadvertent.”
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