Story highlights Police say Robert Bates, 73, thought he pulled out his Taser during an arrest

Instead, he shot the suspect, who later died at a local hospital

(CNN) A Tulsa County reserve deputy is on administrative leave after "inadvertently" shooting a suspect with his gun.

Reserve Officer Robert (Bob) Bates "inadvertently" fired gun in shooting

Police say Robert (Bob) Bates, 73, thought he pulled out his Taser during an arrest, but instead shot the suspect, who later died at a local hospital.

Police say Eric Courtney Harris was shot by police and died later at a Tulsa hospital

The shooting happened after an apparent drug and gun selling operation by the Tulsa Violent Crimes task force Thursday. Bates, a member of the task force, was part of a group of deputies trying to arrest Eric Courtney Harris, 44, in the parking lot of a Dollar General store.

Police say Harris, a convicted felon, sold undercover officers a pistol. When confronted by an arrest team, he fled the scene on foot and police say they "observed him reaching for his waistband area ...causing concern for the deputies safety."

After a brief pursuit, police say Harris was forced to the ground, where he continued to resist arrest and "refused to pull his left arm from underneath his body where his hand was near his waistband."

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