US Police in New Fatal Shooting of Black Suspect
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Dramatic footage has been released which shows another fatal shooting of a black suspect by a white police officer in the United States.
The incident in Tulsa, Oklahoma, involved a 73-year-old reserve deputy who said he shot the suspect accidentally with his gun when he meant to use his Taser, an electronic stun gun.
The body camera footage shows Eric Courtney Harris as the target of an undercover drugs and guns sting operation on 2 April who after appearing to hand over a gun to an undercover police officer, ran off when police cars moved in.
A pursuing officer wearing a body camera chased and tackled Harris to the ground as other officers joined the struggle, the sheriff`s department said.
A voice heard shouting that he was about to use a Taser comes from 73-year-old reserve deputy Bob Bates, an insurance executive and former police officer.
However, immediately afterward, a gunshot is heard followed by an apology from Bates.
"Oh, I shot him! I'm sorry," Bates is heard saying.
At the end of the video, Harris says "I'm losing my breath," to which another officer replies, "F**k your breath."
Harris later died in hospital.
Oklahoma police are defending Bates, saying it was a case of 'slips and capture' - when someone thinks they are doing one thing, but are actually doing the opposite of what they intend, ITV reported.
They say the fact that Bates immediately dropped his gun shows he didn`t mean to use it. Prosecutors are investigating the case.
