OK Man Killed After Deputy Accidentally Fires Gun Instead of Taser

A deputy in Tulsa, Oklahoma shot and killed a suspect when, according to the sheriff’s department, he accidentally grabbed and fired his gun instead of his Taser.

Deputy Robert Bates was part of the sheriff’s office’s Violent Crimes Task Force, and was undercover at the time. The office’s release on the incident said that suspect Eric Harris sold meth and attempted to sell a gun to undercover members of the task force.

When they tried to grab Harris, he ran, and Bates grabbed what he thought was his Taser and fired. But it turned out to be his gun, and Harris ended up dead in the hospital a little later.

The sheriff’s office is conducting an investigation into the matter.

[h/t HuffPost]
[image via Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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