Saturday marks one year since former Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Bates shot and killed Eric Harris during a sting operation.
On Friday we learned more about another operation three weeks before the death of Harris.
In two videos released by the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, different angles of a March 12, 2015 warrant operation are shown. Bates can be seen in the videos with both a gun and Taser drawn.
The operation began before sunrise. Deputies burst into a residence, where they find a suspect naked and covering his body with a sheet. They instruct him to drop what he is holding and exit the residence.
Eventually a deputy brings the suspect down to the ground outside and starts to handcuff him. Bates can be seen feet away with a Taser pointed directly at the suspect.
A deputy can be heard yelling at the suspect, "You want to get tasered? Tase him! Tase him!"
At one time after the suspect is in custody, Bates' Taser can be seen lighting up. Moments after the suspect was handcuffed, Bates can then be heard talking to him, as deputies continue their operation inside.
"What you moaning about? What is hurting?," Bates asked.
"Huh?," the suspect responds.
"What is hurting?," Bates repeats.
"Bob! Bob!," Deputy Ricardo Vaca then said.
A release from the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office states, "While the house is being cleared, Deputy Vaca could not hear the deputies inside as he sat with the suspect, so he instructed Bates to stop talking."
After Vaca said his name, Bates can be seen with a gun in his hand, which he puts back into his holster. He continues to hold his Taser.
The TCSO release also states, "There was no use of force shown from either camera requiring further review by the TCSO."
On Friday Bates' lawyer, Clark Brewster, said his client didn't use any force at all.
"Mr. Bates was instructed just to stand guard to make sure there weren't any issues," Brewster said. "He didn't use any force at all. He didn't touch the person, tase the person, or do anything."
After seeing Bates on camera presenting two weapons though, just weeks before the shooting death of Eric Harris, the Harris family attorney finds the newly released videos to be very troubling.
"A untrained, non-qualified individual who has paid his way onto a violent crimes task force, participating in what appears to be arrest of individuals, pulling weapons out on an individual who is naked and handcuffed," lawyer Dan Smolen said.
As the videos end, one deputy can be heard talking to another deputy saying, "I thought you were going to have to shoot him."
Throughout the videos, several members of the task force can be seen with weapons drawn. In the version of TCSO's use of force policy that would have been in use on March 12, 2015 it mentions multi-person operations. If guns or Tasers are presented, an 'after action' report must be filed.
2 Works For You requested a copy of that report on Friday, but didn't immediately receive it.
Bates is due in court on April 18 to face a second degree manslaughter charge for the death of Harris.
