Cop Mistakenly Shoots Man With Gun Instead Of Tazer

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Tulsa police say the cop made an “inadvertent mistake.” A “mistake” is more like a wrong turn when driving. The word fails to address fatally shooting someone.

Video was released Friday showing the incident, in which several officers chased down suspect Eric Harris, who ran after he tried to sell a gun to undercover cops. When the suspect was pinned down, the 73-year-old reserve deputy Robert Bates said he meant to reach for his taser, but accidentally pulled his gun instead. “I shot him, I’m sorry,” Bates is heard to say on the video.

“He shot me!” Harris yelled. “He shot me, man. Oh, my god. I’m losing my breath.”

“Fuck your breath,” an officer is heard yelling on the video.

Tulsa police maintain that Harris, who had a previous arrest for assaulting a police officer, had been a threat, and called his shooting an accident. “He made an inadvertent mistake,” said Sheriff’s Captain Billy McKelvey of Bates’ action. As of this writing, no investigation is underway.

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D.B. Hirsch

D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.