Another video of a unarmed black man being shot by a white officer has surfaced. A video shows police pursuing 44-year-old Tulsa, Oklahoma man Eric Harris in their cars after he was caught illegally selling firearms to an undercover cop. Harris hopped out of the vehicle he was in and after he tried to flee on foot he was caught and pinned down by 73-year-old reserve deputy Robert Bates.
Bates seemingly meant to pull out his taser and use it on Harris but mistakenly pulled his gun and fired a shot. Bates then said “I shot him! I’m sorry!”
Harris then screams “He shot me! He shot me! Oh my god. I’m losing my breath!” Two officers appear and continue to pin Harris down after he is shot, with one officer putting his knee into the back of Harris’ head. When Harris said he was losing his breath one of the officer yelled back “F–k your breath!”
Bates reportedly isn’t a active member of the police force and volunteers his time as a reserve deputy. Oklahoma prosecutors are investigating the shooting.
“Reserve Deputy Bates did not commit a crime,” Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark said. “Reserve Deputy Bates was a victim, a true victim of slip and capture. There’s no other determination I could come to.”
Harris reportedly reached for his waistband while he was on the ground, which led to Bates going for his taser.
“I want to know if he was shot in the back accidentally or on purpose,” Harris’ brother Andre told KTUL. “These are all the things that not only I want, but the public wants.”
This video surfaces days after another video caused a white officer to be charged with murder for the killing of an unarmed black man. South Carolina officer Michael Slager was charged with murder after shooting and killing unarmed 50-year-old Walter Scott.