Andre Harris on CNN CNN
Andre Harris on CNN 
CNN

As far as Andre Harris is concerned, there was no need for volunteer cop Robert Bates to have used his Taser in the incident that cost his brother Eric Harris his life in Tulsa, Okla., April 2.

In an interview with CNN New Day Tuesday morning, Andre described the force used against his brother as “overkill,” nothing that there were enough people on top of Eric to subdue him without the use of any type of weapon. 

“It was a situation where I didn’t necessarily think that a Taser should even be used, as you see the footage that was three or four, maybe five people on him. We hadn’t seen the whole tape, so I’m not exactly sure how many people are on him,” Andre pointed out. “But there was enough people on top of my brother, knees on his head, to not even have to use a Taser. For it to be that many people around him and him go to use a Taser really didn’t make any sense.

“And then with the Taser being yellow and on his chest, for him to shoot my brother with a .357 makes no sense to me,” the grieving brother added. “It was overkill.”

Andre noted that his brother was turning his life around at the time he was killed and said he was actually on his way to pick up Eric from work when he was killed during a scuffle after an undercover sting.

Advertisement

Bates, a millionaire reserve deputy, was charged with manslaughter following the incident after a video was made public.

Watch the video from CNN: