(CNN) The police say it's meaningless, but many casual observers are appalled after hearing an Oklahoma police deputy tell a dying man who'd just been shot, "F**k your breath."

Bates immediately apologizes, saying, "I shot him. I'm sorry."

Harris, who is bleeding, calls out. He's been shot and didn't do anything, he says.

An officer yells at him, "You f**king ran! Shut the f**k up!"

"Oh my God, I'm losing my breath," Harris cries as a deputy's knee pins his head to the asphalt.

"F**k your breath," an officer tells him.

JUST WATCHED Video released of deadly police shooting in Tulsa Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Video released of deadly police shooting in Tulsa 01:48

Police have painted Harris as a dangerous, possibly PCP-addled illegal gun dealer who had recently sold methamphetamine to undercover police and who fled police that day in such a way as to give the impression that he had a gun in his waistband.

Though Harris was later determined to be unarmed, Sgt. Jim Clark of the Tulsa Police Department, who has been brought in to review the case, excused the behavior of Bates and the officer who is heard cursing at Harris.

Bates, who was also one of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office's benefactors, was the "victim" of something called "slip and capture," where in a high-stress situation, a person intends to do one thing and instead does something else, Clark said.

"Reserve Deputy Bates did not commit a crime. Reserve Deputy Bates was a victim, a true victim of slips and capture, " he said. "There's no other determination I could come to."

The officer or officers heard cursing at Harris were also influenced by the stress of the apprehension, according to Capt. Bill McKelvey of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, who said that even though they can be heard replying to Harris' cries, they did not hear the gunshot or Harris' repeated assertion that he'd been shot.

"They did not know that he was shot at this time," McKelvey said. "They had audio exclusion. They was at a point where they couldn't hear. They didn't even hear the gunshot go off. The officers did not know that Mr. Harris had been shot."

Clark added that the language used by the officer was a product of stress and in no way should have any bearing on whether the shooting was justified.

It would appear many on social media aren't buying that claim. Here is a sample of what people are saying about the Tulsa case (Because of the language used by police, CNN has censored some tweets, while embedding self-censored tweets):

Asked Michelle (@shelbert): #EricHarris "F**k Your Breath" When will police killings stop. When will the #DOJ actually do something to stop this."

Tulsa steroid cop tells dying suspect "F**k your breath" Waiting for the badge sniffers to defend him. — Sharon M (@SharonJM42) April 13, 2015

"F*ck your breath." Oklahoma cop's words to #EricHarris after accidentally shooting him are enraging http://t.co/TXrSUZzd0b — Catherine Thompson (@KT_thomps) April 12, 2015

A nation chants #ICantBreathe in response to police brutality. A Tulsa cop screams "F*ck your breath" at dying #EricHarris. America, 2015. — Ayala Maurer-Prager (@A_MaurerPrager) April 12, 2015

And some were so incensed by the police explanations that they took umbrage with CNN for leading one of its stories with the "audio exclusion" and "slip and capture" remarks made by Tulsa authorities.

"What a horrid article. ... Auditory exclusion? slip and capture? the deputy as the victim? You should be ashamed," wrote Catherine Johnston (@mscathyanne) in a tweet to CNN.

@benbCNN @EliottCNN Y'all really buried the lede on this one... ""You f**king ran! Shut the f**k up!" he yells. "F**k your breath!" — Antonia Clifford (@a_cliffordino) April 13, 2015

What a horrid article @CNN @EliottCNN @benbCNN Auditory exclusion? slip and capture? the deputy as the victim? You should be ashamed. — Catherine Johnston (@mscathyanne) April 13, 2015

A spokesman for the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office defended the explanation Monday, calling so-called audio exclusion "a human phenomenon" that "has happened many times," citing instances where victims of car wrecks or violent attacks have later said they weren't aware of the trauma they suffered at the time.

"Also when (Bates) yelled 'Taser, Taser' ... those deputies thought (Harris) was shot with the Taser," said sheriff's spokesman Maj. Shannon Clark.