Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Under Investigation by State Following Fatal Shooting of Eric Harris
Robert Bates has been charged with manslaughter.
Image via Complex Original
A formal investigation has been launched into the Oklahoma sheriff's office involved in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man earlier this spring.
The Associated Press reports that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation will investigate the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office following Eric Harris's shooting in April. Harris was killed by Reserve Deputy Robert Bates, a volunteer who insists he mistook his service weapon for his stun gun.
The sheriff's office was accused of misconduct after it allegedly falsified training documents for the 73-yeard-old Bates, and, according to the Associated Press, Okmulgee County District Attorney O.R. Barris announced yesterday that an inquiry into the incident had been opened.
Bates was charged with manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty. NBC News adds that Barris will ultimately determine whether or not the sheriff's office committed any violations.
[via Associated Press and NBC News]
