A Tulsa County reserve deputy who has been charged in a fatal shooting bought at least five automobiles and surveillance equipment for the undercover unit to which he was assigned, records show.
The incident was also not the first time Robert Bates has been involved in a use of force during an arrest while serving as a reserve deputy. Undersheriff Tim Albin told the Tulsa World Bates used a Taser on a person during an arrest in the past but no policy violation occurred.
Bates owns an insurance company and served as chairman of the Re-elect Sheriff (Stanley) Glanz Committee in 2012. Records show he donated $2,500 to Glanz’s campaign that year.
The sheriff’s office said Bates, 73, accidentally shot Eric Harris April 2 after Harris fled from arrest and then fought with a deputy who tackled him. Bates claimed he thought he was holding a Taser when he pulled the trigger.
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