Washington:
A reserve deputy sheriff in Oklahoma pleaded not guilty Tuesday in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man -- and won a judge's consent to go on holiday in the Bahamas.
Robert Bates, 73, appeared briefly in court in Tulsa district court charged with manslaughter in the death of Eric Harris, 44, during an undercover gun-sale operation on April 2.
The affluent insurance agent and part-time lawman has acknowledged shooting Harris during an undercover gun-sale operation, but claims he thought he had drawn his Taser stun gun rather than a firearm.
Local news media said Bates entered a not guilty plea Tuesday before Special Judge Deborrah Ludi-Leitch, who set a preliminary hearing for July 2.
In the meantime, the judge said she saw no problem with Bates going on a month-long family holiday in the Bahamas, his lawyer Corbin Brewster said.
"Prior to the April 2 incident, Robert had planned to take his family and grandkids on a trip," said Brewster, quoted in the Tulsa World newspaper.
"The district attorney's office (prosecutor) announced they didn't have any problem with that travel or the itinerary."
In a statement, the Harris family expressed anger, saying that the decision "sends a message of apathy" with respect to his shooting.
"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," the family said.
Bates, a friend of Tulsa County's sheriff and a contributor to his re-election campaign, was released from custody after turning himself in and posting a $25,000 bond last week.
The killing of black men by white police officers has become a major issue in the United States since the August 9 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri ignited sometimes violent protests nationwide.