Reserve deputy who killed Eric Harris falsified training records so he could carry a gun

In new developments from a story we wrote about this Sunday, it turns out that three Tulsa County Sheriff supervisors were transferred after they refused to falsify training records for Robert Bates, the 73 year-old reserve deputy charged with second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting Eric Harris.

From Tulsa World:

Supervisors at the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office were ordered to falsify a reserve deputy’s training records, giving him credit for field training he never took and firearms certifications he should not have received, sources told the Tulsa World.

At least three of reserve deputy Robert Bates’ supervisors were transferred after refusing to sign off on his state-required training, multiple sources speaking on condition of anonymity told the World.

An attorney for the Harris family has raised questions about the authenticity of Bates’ training records.

The Sheriff’s Office has released a summary listing training courses Bates had been given credit for but have not released documents showing which supervisors signed off on that training.

[Undersheriff Tim Albin] rejected claims that Bates’ training records were falsified and that supervisors who refused to do so were transferred to less desirable assignments.

“The training record speaks for itself. I have absolutely no knowledge of what you are talking about,” Albin said. “There aren’t any secrets in law enforcement. Zero. Those types of issues would have come up.”

Bates claims he accidentally shot Harris after he fled arrest from an undercover gun and ammunition buy, and then fought with a deputy who tackled him. Bates allegedly thought he was holding a stun gun when he pulled the trigger.

Watch a video report on the latest developments in this story, posted by Tulsa World:

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.

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