Ex-Oklahoma reserve deputy sentenced to four years in death
Source: Associated Press
Ex-Oklahoma reserve deputy sentenced to four years in death
Justin Juozapavicius, Associated Press
Updated 7:46 pm, Tuesday, May 31, 2016
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A former Oklahoma volunteer sheriff's deputy who said he mistook his handgun for his stun gun when he fatally shot an unarmed suspect last year was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison.
A judge gave Robert Bates, 74, the maximum penalty recommended by jurors who last month convicted the wealthy insurance executive of second-degree manslaughter.
Bates fatally shot Eric Harris on April 2, 2015, while working with Tulsa County sheriff's deputies during an illegal gun sales sting. Harris, who had run from deputies, was restrained and unarmed when he was shot. Harris was black and Bates is white, but Harris' family has said they don't believe race played a role.
The shooting, which was captured on video, sparked several investigations. Among other things, the investigations revealed an internal memo questioning Bates' qualifications as a volunteer deputy and showed that Bates, a close friend of the sheriff's, had donated thousands of dollars in cash, vehicles and equipment to the sheriff's office.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Sentencing-set-for-ex-Oklahoma-reserve-deputy-in-7954134.php
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