A jury on Wednesday took less than three hours to convict a former Tulsa County, Oklahoma reserve deputy in the fatal shooting of an unarmed suspect.
The maximum sentence was recommended for Robert Bates, who was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter for mistaking his revolver for his Taser before he shot and killed Eric Harris last year, according to The Tulsa World.
The 74-year-old didn't show much emotion after the verdict was read and he softly told family members he loved them as a deputy took him away.
Bates will be held at the Tulsa Jail without bail until he is formally sentenced on May 31.
After hearing from 21 witnesses in the 1-and-a-half week-long trial, jurors sided with prosecutors who contended that Bates' failure to exercise reasonable caution constitutes criminal negligence.
The shooting occured after Harris sold a gun to an undercover deputy on April 2, 2015. While being restrained on the ground by multiple deputies, he was shot by Bates.
