A 44-year-old suspect in Oklahoma was shot dead on Friday when a reserve deputy mistakenly pulled his revolver and not the stun gun while Eric Courtney Harris was being handcuffed.

The officer, 73-year-old Robert Charles Bates, insisted it was an inadvertent mistake. He is an insurance company executive and former cop on a covert mission to sell Harris a gun and bullets.

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Harris initially ran when being arrested, but Bates and other deputies pursued him and the suspect was on the ground with another deputy trying to handcuff him. However, Bates noticed Harris was reaching for his waistband so he shot him once, thinking he pulled out his Taser, reports Nola.com.

The suspect, who died after one hour in a hospital, was a convicted felon who was being investigated into the sale of drugs. Harris had convictions for unauthorized use of a vehicle, escaping from a state penitentiary and robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, reports Huffington Post.

But during the investigation, he also offered a sawed-off shotgun and other weapons to undercover deputies.

At the same time, Bates was offering him a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol plus 300 rounds of ammunition. The transaction was being held at the parking lot of a Dollar General store in Tulsa. Harris was being arrested when the shooting happened.

Police admit they are not really sure if Harris really had a gun, according to CNN. Shannon Clark, spokesperson of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office said, "The suspect was placed in the ambulance and transported so quickly. I have not been told there was a second weapon found on him."

However, CNN reports that Harris had admitted to medics that he was possibly under the influence of Pencyclidine, a street drug.

According to the Sheriff's office which is investigating the incident, they are looking at some factors such as Bates's age which could have played a role in the confusion of weapon to use. CNN suggests it could be due to the rapidly evolving situation.

Bates went on an administrative leave from his deputy post with the Tulsa Violent Crimes task force as a result of the incident.

TagsOklahoma, shooting, stun gun, Taser