Oklahoma Cop Found Guilty Of Manslaughter In Death Of Eric Harris
A former Tulsa deputy Robert Bates has been found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting a black man after mistaking taser for a gun.
Bates, a former insurance broker, became a volunteer reserve sheriff deputy for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office last year. Because of his connection in the task force in Oklahoma, Bates skipped a 480-hour field officer training. According to reports, Bates bought new cars for the department and also donated a sum of $2,500 to Sheriff Stanley Glanz’s re-election campaign in 2012.
The 73-year-old wasn’t qualified to carry a firearm, yet he was handed a rifle to kill an innocent unarmed black man.
A video of the entire incident, which was captured by a body camera, was released by police officers. In the video, one can hear Harris screaming “He shot me, man! Oh my God” to which one of the officers responds “Shut the f–k up! F–k your breath! He didn’t do s–t, you hear me?”
Harris died 35 minutes later in a hospital after he was shot in his abdomen, breaking two of his ribs.
Bates was convicted of second-degree murder on Wednesday April 27, 2016. According to reports, he will be sentenced to maximum of four years in prison come May 31. For once officials have decided to serve justice to those who need it.
But what mean four years comparing to the human’s life?
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