Officer accused of Oklahoma shooting posts bail

A volunteer law enforcement officer charged with manslaughter over the shooting death of a man who was subdued on the ground has surrendered to authorities.

Robert Bates turned himself in at Tulsa County Jail in Oklahoma.

#RobertBates says in statement to investigators he assisted violent crimes task forces at least 100 other times pic.twitter.com/IkHqLD72Rf

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) April 14, 2015

The 73-year-old insurance executive was charged with second-degree manslaughter after the April 2 shooting of Eric Harris.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy was released after posting bail. He did not comment to the media. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Authorities say 44-year-old Mr Harris tried to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer, and Bates accidentally shot him after confusing his stun gun and handgun.

Bates was volunteering on an undercover operation when he mistakenly pulled out his handgun instead of a stun gun and shot the suspect as he struggled with deputies, officials said.

Bates, who is white, is charged with second-degree manslaughter involving culpable negligence for the death of Mr Harris, who was black.

It was the latest fatal shooting by a police officer to draw national attention after months of investigations and protests of other deaths in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, South Carolina and elsewhere.

Many of the cases have stirred debate about the treatment of black men and boys by US law enforcement agencies, but Andre Harris, the Oklahoma victim’s brother, told a news conference he did not believe the shooting was racially motivated.

The Oklahoma case, however, has raised questions about the use of volunteer officers to supplement full-time police.

A video of the incident, shot by a deputy and released at the request of the victim’s family, shows a deputy chase and tackle Mr Harris.

As the deputy subdues Mr Harris on the ground, a gunshot rings out and a man says: “Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry.”

Mr Harris screams: “He shot me. Oh, my God,” and a deputy replies: “You f****** ran. Shut the f*** up.”

When Mr Harris says he is losing his breath, a deputy replies: “F*** your breath.”

Mr Harris was treated by medics at the scene on April 2 and died in hospital in Tulsa.

The family said in a statement that they were “saddened, shocked, confused and disturbed”.

“Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all of this is the inhumane and malicious treatment of Eric after he was shot,” the family wrote. “These deputies treated Eric as less than human. They treated Eric as if his life had no value.”

The use of reserve officers is commonplace across Oklahoma and much of the US.

Cities and counties often turn to them for extra manpower because of a lack of resources and tight budgets. They are sometimes used to free up regular officers to concentrate on high-priority duties.

Reserve deputies are permitted to carry firearms but have far less training than regular officers.

Bates, who was briefly a full-time officer with the Tulsa Police Department from 1964 to 1965, is now an insurance executive who updates his certification every year, said Tulsa County sheriff’s spokesman Shannon Clark.

Bates was acting in a support role during the sting operation and does not typically confront suspects, Ms Clark said.

Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz has described Bates as a personal friend, and records show he has been a generous donor to the department since he became a reserve deputy in 2008.