US cop who killed black man had falsified training records
The Tulsa County Sheriff's office has ordered supervisors to falsify the training records of a US police deputy who fatally shot an unarmed black man after he had meant to stun him with a Taser.
The incident came to light after video footage emerged showing Reserve Deputy Robert Bates, 73, shot dead Eric Harris in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 2. Bates is now facing manslaughter charges.
Now sources are saying that supervisors at the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office were ordered to falsify Bates’ training records giving him credit for field training he never took and firearms certifications he should not have received.
According to the Tulsa World, multiple anonymous sources said that at least three of Bates' supervisors had been transferred because they refused to sign off on his state-mandated training.
"The sources’ claims are corroborated by records, including a statement by Bates after the shooting, that he was certified as an advanced reserve deputy in 2007," the sources told the Tulsa World.
The Sheriff's Office denied the allegations and said it will conduct a review of its reserve deputy training program.
This came after allegations that Bates was given the reserve deputy position because he'd donated cars and computers, and financially supported the sheriff's election campaign.
According to former officers who worked for the sheriff’s department, Bates, the CEO of a wealthy insurance company, was a “pay-to-play” officer who'd essentially bought his position through giving donations.
The sheriff's office named all courses that Bates must have completed as part of training, but refused to provide the names of the supervisors who signed off on them, CNN reported.
"You would think the sheriff's office -- if in fact there has been no pressure applied, no falsification of records -- would be forthcoming with these documents," Ziva Branstetter, a reporter at the Tulsa World, told CNN.
In the video that emerged after the shooting, it can be heard that one shot is fired after Bates took out his service weapon. Immediately, he says “I shot him. I'm sorry,” dropping the gun.
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