A man can be heard apologizing and admitting to shooting a man in a video released at the weekend that documents the killing of a black suspect by a white reserve sheriff’s deputy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Police have said that the 73-year-old Tulsa County reserve deputy Robert Bates thought he was holding a stun gun, not his handgun, when he fired at 44-year-old Eric Harris in the April 2 incident.
The video, shot by deputies with sunglass cameras and released over the weekend on the request of the victim’s family, shows a deputy chase and tackle Harris, whom they said tried to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer. A deputy is heard telling Harris, “I need you to roll on your stomach.” A woman can be heard saying, “Stop fighting.”
As the deputy subdues Harris on the ground, a gunshot rings out and a man says: “Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry.”
Harris screams: “He shot me. Oh, my God,” and a deputy replies: “You f—ing ran. Shut the f— up.”
When Harris says he’s losing his breath, a deputy replies, “F— your breath.”
Harris was treated by medics at the scene and died in a Tulsa hospital.
Guest
- Matt Pearce, national reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He tweets @mattdpearce.
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