Tulsa reserve deputy accused of manslaughter for fatally shooting an unarmed suspect apologized to the dead man’s family, saying he "had no desire to ever take anyone's life."
In his first public comments since the shooting and his subsequent arrest on a manslaughter charge,
73-year-old cancer survivor Robert Bates said the killing was "the second worst thing" to happen to him - before quickly qualifying his comments by adding, "or first" worst thing.
“First and foremost,” Bates, surrounded by is wife, two daughters and attorney, said onNBC’s “Today” show on Friday, “let me apologize to the family of Eric Harris. This is the second worst thing to ever happen to me - or first.
"I’ve had cancer a number of years ago, I didn’t think I was going to get there. Luckily, I was able to go to a hospital where I had hours of surgery. I rate this as number one on my list of things in my life that I regret.”
“This has happened a number of times around the country, I have read about it in the past,” Bates said.“I thought to myself after reading several cases, ‘I don’t understand how this could happen.’ You must believe me, it can happen to anyone.”
At one point in the eight minute interview, during which his daughters and wife rubbed his shoulders to console him, Bates, prompted by interviewer Matt Lauer, got up to show where he keeps his weapons while acting as a reserve deputy. The stun gun, he said, is kept in front, tucked into a jacket in a special holster. His revolver, he said, is kept on the right side of his belt “toward the rear.”
The April 2 incident was caught on the body camera of a Tulsa, Okla., sheriff’s deputy who was on top of Harris when the fatal shot rang out. Audio of the video catches Harris yell out, “taser, taser!” immediately before he fires.
“Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry,” Bates said as deputies continued to cuff and subdue Harris, who cried out in pain and yelled, “He shot me!” and said he can’t breathe.
Bates added: “I never considered the repercussions of what I had just done. It was shock, I can tell you it stayed with me for a number of days. I’m not at all sure it’s not still with me today – lack of sleep, inability to concentrate – all of those plus more. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Bates surrendered to police on the manslaughter charge Tuesday and is free on $25,000 bond. On Wednesday, local newspaper the Tulsa World reported that supervisors falsified training and weapons certifications for Bates so that he could participate in the reserve program, even without the necessary 480 hours in the Field Officer Training program.
Glanz, the sheriff, said his department can’t find some of Bates’ certification records.
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Originally Posted by specsaregood
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