Brother Speaks Out After Eric Harris Settlement

Tulsa County has settled with the family of Eric Harris to the tune of $6 million. 

03/09/2018 Related Story: $6 Million: Settlement Reached In Eric Harris Death

It’s been almost three years since Harris was shot and killed by former Tulsa County reserve deputy Bob Bates. 
     
Andre Harris, Eric’s brother, said he's satisfied with the outcome and believes he's gotten justice for his brother but said more needs to be done.
 
It was April 2nd, 2015 when former Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Bob Bates shot and killed Eric Harris. It was a day Andre will never forget but he believes justice has finally been served

"I'm feeling very relieved, you know. First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to help defend my brother and his case and get the outcome that we got," Andre said. 

Eric Harris was killed when former Reserve Deputy Bates mistakenly pulled his gun instead of a taser during an undercover gun sting. A jury found Bates guilty of second-degree manslaughter and a grand jury investigated the Sheriff's Office. An audit found a system-wide failure within the office. Since then, several reforms were made.  

"In going into this and to my brother's case we seen a lot of things that was wrong with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office and through my brother's case we actually brought a lot of things to the surface that needed to be brought to the surface," said Andre. 

Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado released this statement:

“Today I announce that all claims resulting from the death of Eric Harris on April 2, 2015, have now been settled. It’s in the best interest of all parties involved to resolve these claims at this time. I believe this decision will allow the process of healing to continue for the Harris family, the citizens of Tulsa County and the hard-working men and women of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.”

Andre said although he's satisfied with the outcome and is ready to move on, more needs to be done to prevent something like this from ever happening again. 

"We really need to focus on north Tulsa really bringing the community together and allowing law enforcement to do their job but also do it in a safe environment also with the camera rolling," Andre said.  

He said he wants to help establish a foundation to help people coming out of jail to get back on their feet and be productive citizens.