TULSA, Okla. — The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Thursday refused to delay a grand jury investigation into the Tulsa sheriff’s office after a former volunteer deputy fatally shot an unarmed and restrained man in April.
It paves the way for a grand jury to assemble Monday in Tulsa district court to begin investigating whether Sheriff Stanley Glanz neglected his duties and whether reservists who gave gifts to the sheriff — including Robert Bates, who fatally shot Eric Harris on April 2 — were given special treatment. The court ruled 7-0, court referee Greg Albert said.
Harris had been restrained after running from authorities during a sting involving gun sales. Bates, who has claimed he mistook his handgun for a stun gun, has pleaded not guilty to a second-degree manslaughter charge and will face a jury trial in February.
Weeks after the shooting, a 2009 memo was leaked that raised concerns about the training for Bates, a friend of Glanz who has donated tens of thousands of dollars in equipment, vehicles and cash to the sheriff’s office.