Another black man was chased, beaten, and executed by the police. It’s a familiar story, but this one adds another twist: Eric Harris was shot accidentally by reserve deputy Robert Bates.
Bates, 73, accidentally shot Eric Harris on Thursday, according to Maj. Shannon Clark, after Harris — the subject of an undercover gun and ammunition buy by the Sheriff’s Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force — fled from arrest and then fought with a deputy who tackled him. Bates, Clark said, thought he was holding a stun gun when he pulled the trigger.