Tulsa deputy charged with manslaughter over fatal shooting

Oklahoma prosecutors arraign reserve officer Robert Bates for death of Eric Harris

Eric Harris (44) in an undated police photo. Tulsa police say the fatal shooting of Mr Harris was the result of a reserve police officer thinking he was holding a stun gun, not his handgun. Photograph: Tulsa County sheriff’s office handout/Reuters

Prosecutors in Oklahoma have charged a sheriff's reserve deputy with second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a man in Tulsa.

Local police said a white reserve police officer thought he was holding a stun gun, not his handgun, when he shot dead a black suspect during an arrest that was caught on video in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The video of the April 2nd incident shows a Tulsa County deputy chase and tackle Eric Harris (44), who police claim was trying to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer.

While the deputy subdues Mr Harris on the ground, a gunshot rings out and a man says, “Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry”.

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Authorities identified the shooter as 73-year-old reserve deputy Robert Bates .

The video was released over the weekend at the request of Mr Harris’s family. They have not commented since its release.

PA