The Oklahoma reserve deputy who shot a man dead this month, apparently after he mistook his gun for his Taser, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter charges Tuesday. Robert Bates, 73, will appear in court for a hearing July 2, and in the meantime, the judge has given the green-light for him to take a previously planned vacation to the Bahamas, where Bates had once gone with the sheriff. A lawyer for the family of the man Bates shot dead, Eric Harris, said he wasn't surprised Bates had pleaded not guilty but was surprised he was going to the Bahamas. "Mr. Bates' vacationing in the Bahamas at this time sends a message of apathy with respect to the shooting and Eric's life," the lawyer said. "At a time when we are still mourning the death of a loved one that he shot down in the street, Mr. Bates will be relaxing and enjoying his wealth and privilege."
