On Monday [April 13th] Tulsa, Ohlahoma, Policer Officer, Robert Charles Bates, 73 was charges with manslaughter in the death of an unarmed black suspect [while on the ground at the officer’s feet] was captured on videotape.
While there have been recent talks and protests to enact legislation for all police officers to wear body camera’s [and in this case the officers had body camera’s present in their vehicle and on their suits], unarmed black men are still being shot to death at the hands of police misconduct.
On the video [below], On April 2nd, Officers were conducting an undercover operation of stolen guns, and Eric Courtney Harris, 44 [a convicted felon] was the suspect in crime who presented the officer with a ‘luger’ handgun for sale just moments before the fatal shooting. Another vehicle pulls up alongside the vehicle [that Harris and and Bates were in], and Harris begins to run before the inevitable occurs.
” Officers chased after Harris [on foot] and Bates pins him to the ground. Harris can be heard saying ‘Alright N—a ‘, before a gunshot shot is fired. ‘Oh I Shot Him, I’m Sorry’, says officer Bates. He shot me, He shot me screams Harris. Another officer can be heard saying ‘ He Shot You, Because You F–king Ran’ . ‘I’m Losing My Breathe’ says Harris, ‘F–K your breathe’ shouts another officer. The result – Harris is dead. ”
Bates argued that the shooting was in error as he’d intended to use his taser instead. Bates drew his .38caliber handgun and shot Harris.
District Attorney, Stephen Kunzweiler says the following.
” Mr. Bates is charged with Second-Degree Manslaughter involving culpable negligence. Oklahoma law defines culpable negligence as the ‘omission to do something which a reasonably careful person would do, or the lack of the usual ordinary care and caution in the performance of an act usually and ordinarily exercised by a person under similar circumstances and conditions.”
Bates family have issued high concerns surrounding Bates involvement in such a sensitive and high risk sting operation. Bates is the CEO of an insurance company who volunteers as a certified reserved deputy.
Harris brother, Andre Harris says he does not believe that the shooting was racially motive but of simple ‘evil’ .
” He was non-violent, loving, caring and peaceful, says Andre Harris. This is a group of people that’s spent a lot of time together, spent money together. They’ve gotten real comfortable with how they do things, which when you’re the law, I guess you feel like you can do things and get away with it and not get exposed. We’ve come to expose it. We’ve come to pull a mask off the evil. We’ve come to shine and light on the darkness. ”
#BlackLivesMatter