Another Police Killing "accident"

 

 

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Authorities have released video showing the fatal encounter of a black suspect with a white reserve sheriff's deputy who police said thought he was holding a stun gun instead of his handgun when he shot the man during a recent arrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

The video of the April 2 incident shows a Tulsa County deputy chase and tackle Eric Harris, 44, whom they accuse of trying to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer.

 

A deputy is heard telling Harris, "I need you to roll on your stomach." At about the same time, a woman is heard in the background saying, "Stop fighting."

 

While the deputy is subduing Harris on the ground, a gunshot rings out and a man says, "Oh, I shot him. I'm sorry."

 

Authorities have identified the shooter as 73-year-old reserve deputy Robert Bates and said that he meant to use his stun gun.

 

Harris screams, "He shot me. Oh, my God," and a deputy replies: "You f---ing ran. Shut the f--- up."

 

View galleryIn this screen shot from April 2, 2015 video provided …

In this screen shot from April 2, 2015 video provided by the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, poli …

Harris then says he's losing his breath. A deputy replies, "F--- your breath."

 

Harris was treated by medics at the scene and eventually died in a Tulsa hospital.

 

The video was released over the weekend after Harris' family requested that it be made public. It was recorded by deputies with sunglass cameras, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office officials said. They said Bates believed he was holding a Taser and intended to incapacitate Harris when the fatal shot was fired.

 

An investigator who reviewed details of the shooting concluded that the deputy suffered a phenomenon known as "slips and capture."

 

Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark, who was asked to investigate the shooting by the sheriff's office, has said Bates was a victim of a high stress phenomenon in which a person's behavior "slips" off the intended course of action because it's "captured" by a stronger response.

 

Results of the investigation were turned over to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file criminal charges.

 

An attorney for the family, Dan Smolen, did not immediately return a telephone call Sunday seeking comment. The family has not commented publicly since the video's release.

 

Reserve deputies are generally volunteers, often with other full-time jobs. Bates is an insurance company executive assigned to the Violent Crimes Task Force.

 

The sheriff's office told the Tulsa World that it has more than 100 reserve deputies, who the "have full powers and authority" of a deputy while on duty, and that it's not unusual for them to be on an assignment with units such as the Violent Crimes Task Force.

Pretty similar to the other thread. Another confluence of two idiots.

Pretty similar to the other thread. Another confluence of two idiots.

 

yep.. getting out of control. i guess people will think twice before running these days..

My guess is that this shit has been going on for a long time and is not a new phenomenon. The game changer now are cell phone cameras and cops don't have enough time to plant evidence on the victims.

My guess is that this shit has been going on for a long time and is not a new phenomenon. The game changer now are cell phone cameras and cops don't have enough time to plant evidence on the victims.

you hit it right on the money ! it was probably worse back then.

First to criticize first to support....

 

Training and character determine effective policing.

A scared or biased officer is a disaster waiting to happen.

The race factor just makes a bad situation into a legal, political

and social cluster "f" !!!!

Did I read 73 year old reserve?

 

 

Well there's your problem right there....

 

 

Way too fcuking old to do that job...

My guess is that this shit has been going on for a long time and is not a new phenomenon. The game changer now are cell phone cameras and cops don't have enough time to plant evidence on the victims.

 

Bingo!

So why I know they are in total powertrip? First you shoot man so he starts dying. So that might hurt a little bit so yelling is maybe deserved at that point, right? No, these polices never even respect dying man, they always say "shut the fcuk up".

I read this last night and was pretty damn disgusted. I don't know how ANYONE thinks they are holding a tazer when they are actually holding a revolver. This is such a ridiculous statement that it alone brings in to question whether this guy even belonged on the force. I am trying to dig up the article I found where it claimed he had a spot on the force only because he was a rich old guy who had donated money to the department.

 

I know Gawker (man it pains me to say that) was working on pulling together a list of every homicide (justified or otherwise) involving a police officer. I wonder how many of them there truly are each year? My thoughts last night were that maybe the Justice Department/FBI/ATF should be doing an automatic review of every one of these cases to make sure that the local force acted appropriately.

 

At the end of the day this is a homicide and a lot of people forget that. When you take a life you commit a homicide. The circumstances may lead to that homicide being declared justified but you have still taken a life. Way too many people in law enforcement as well as general society don't remember that or treat it with the respect and gravity that it demands.

 

I also know we have debated this ad nauseam but it has become an us against them mentality and the police think they are going to war every single day. Just yesterday we had some old crack pot fire off a couple of rounds in his house and then refuse to come out. SWAT rolled over in full on multicam with about a bazillion full autos and silencers. Basically they looked like Seal Team 6 going to take out Osama rather than the local police force bring an old man in to custody.

I know Gawker (man it pains me to say that) was working on pulling together a list of every homicide (justified or otherwise) involving a police officer. I wonder how many of them there truly are each year? My thoughts last night were that maybe the Justice Department/FBI/ATF should be doing an automatic review of every one of these cases to make sure that the local force acted appropriately.

You mean like this?

You mean like this?

 

Nice find.

Nice find.

Note as it's stated on there that the list doesn't include "justifiable homicide"...

Note as it's stated on there that the list doesn't include "justifiable homicide"...

 

Inclusion in the lists implies neither wrongdoing nor justification on the part of the person killed or the officer involved. The listing merely documents the occurrence of a death.

 

It does include justifiable homicide...it just doesn't break it out.

Not that it makes it right but would like to see the percentage on that list of people that resisted arrest. Seems like that would be the easiest way to avoid getting shot.

Not that it makes it right but would like to see the percentage on that list of people that resisted arrest. Seems like that would be the easiest way to avoid getting shot.

 

 

good point! all the videos of people getting killed have been from people avoiding arrests...

Charged with Manslaughter

 

I feel like finding that tattooed asshole who had his knee on the poor guys head and sticking a hot fcuking poker up his ass. The guy is down, shot no less and they still have to treat the guy like that? Wtf is wrong with these people? I hope someone is working diligently on releasing the identities of those other cops to the public.

good point! all the videos of people getting killed have been from people avoiding arrests...

 

 

Yes, but the police are the police not executioners. Apart from small things like speeding etc they cant even hand out fines or punishment. The job of the police is to protect the citizens and bring people to the court system if found or accused of doing something illegal. I don't think that includes the old wild west "wanted dead or alive" anymore?

Did one of the cops say "fcuk your breath"?!

good point! all the videos of people getting killed have been from people avoiding arrests...

 

Resisting arrest via running away doesn't justify getting shot while you're on the ground, or running away from someone. (unless that person has intentions to use deadly force)

Nor does struggling on the ground justify getting shot by a pistol that was mistaken to be a taser gun.

 

Here's a good older article about use of deadly force:

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0074.htm

 

In other words, unless their life is in danger, or someone else's life is in danger or the suspect is fleeing and they suspect the perp is in danger of imminent use of deadly force, then it isn't authorized. Simply fleeing isn't a justification.

 

I can see how someone is far more likely to have bad things happen to them because of resisting arrest, and I can definitely see how it's a stupid idea since you're probably not going to get away. However, with most people it's a fight or flight reaction. It doesn't even necessarily happen with much thought, they either deal with it and take the arrest, fight against it, or run like crazy.

 

In this case, with the rest of the officers on the scene, they all seemed well aware of the situation and were dealing with it until mr ancient incompetence-pants came along and his Alzheimer's kicked in and he forgot that a pistol wasn't a taser gun. Had that guy not been on the scene, the guy probably would have went into custody with scrapes, bruises, marks, etc. Police encounter people who resist arrest all the time, how many of them get shot in the process for simply cussing at the officer and struggling so they can get up and try to run away? At the most they get tackled, pounced or tasered.

 

I suppose in the words of Romandad, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. But at the same time, it doesn't make it right, and it doesn't make it fair, and it doesn't make it justified.

Fwiw, he did say "sorry"!?

Fwiw, he did say "sorry"!?

 

i don't know why but I lol'd.

 

"Does the defense have any final statements?"

"Yes, my client wants to make it very clear that he said he is VERY SORRY and apologized to the perp."

Yes, but the police are the police not executioners. Apart from small things like speeding etc they cant even hand out fines or punishment. The job of the police is to protect the citizens and bring people to the court system if found or accused of doing something illegal. I don't think that includes the old wild west "wanted dead or alive" anymore?

 

Technically, their job isn't even to protect people, it is just to enforce the law.

I read this last night and was pretty damn disgusted. I don't know how ANYONE thinks they are holding a tazer when they are actually holding a revolver.

 

It has happened before, this isnt the first time a cop has mistaken a stun gun for a actual gun.

This incident will be a huge game changer for all of law enforcement and their reserve departments.

I know a few cops and they all complain about low morale, horrible morale. It is bad, where they dont want to look for trouble anymore, it just aint worth it. One bad call, one bad judegement and your life can be destroyed and you can be in prison. Who reading this has had an off day?A bad day?

Who the hell would want to be a cop today and to put up with all this, I definitely wouldnt it.

 

Rant off!