The second in command at the sheriff 's department where reserve deputy accidentally killed a man because he fired his gun instead of a Taser has resigned . Undersheriff Tim Albin , of the Tulsa County Sheriff 's Office in Oklahoma , quit his job Monday after new revelations about how the department treated elderly killer Robert Bates , 73 . Bates , who was a volunteer deputy , shot dead Eric Harris , 44 , after he was tackled to the ground . Video of the killing shows Bates exclaiming that he opened fired by accident , and apologizing . Resignation : Undersheriff Tim Albin ( pictured ) , of the Tulsa County Sheriff 's Office in Oklahoma , quit his job Monday after new revelations about how the department treated elderly killer , reserve deputy Robert Bates . In the tide of scrutiny which followed the incident , it emerged that other deputies in the department had expressed concern about his fitness to serve , but were told to hold their tongues . Bates , a millionaire insurance broker , had made substantial donations to the department in previous years . He has been charged with manslaughter - but a judge allowed him to take a month-long holiday to the Bahamas before his day in court . Sheriff Stanley Glanz did n't specify why Undersheriff Tim Albin stepped down , but said departmental reorganization was necessary following the April 2 shooting . Charged : Bates , 73 , ( left ) accidentally grabbed his pistol and killed Eric Harris ( right , in a previous mug shot ) in what he said was an accident . 'Given the gravity of the current situation and the need to go a different direction with our leadership and management he agrees with me that it is time for a change , ' Glanz wrote in a news release . Albin , who has been in his position for 26 years , has yet to comment on his departure , which will take effect and the end of this week . Albin was named in a 2009 internal investigation released Friday that showed deputies had expressed concerns about Bates ' performance . Some claimed Albin gave Bates preferential treatment and intimidated those who raised concerns . The former head of the reserve deputy program , Sergeant Randy Chapman , told the investigator that Albin chastised him after he questioned Bates ' performance . Confusion : An image shows a Taser and a handgun similar to the weapons Bates was carrying . He mistakenly thought he was holding a Taser , not his handgun , when he fatally shot Eric Harris . 'You need to stop messing with ( Bates ) because he does a lot of good for the County , ' Chapman is quoted in the memo saying Albin told him that . Chapman declined to talk about the memo when contacted last week by The Associated Press and also declined Monday after Albin 's resignation . ' I 've been told to stay out of it , ' he said . According to the report , Chapman complained to Albin on one occasion that Bates was driving a personal car with police equipment prior to having the requisite training , Albin told him : 'This is a s -- - sandwich and you will just have to eat it but not acquire a taste for it . ' A little more than five years later , 44-year-old Eric Harris was shot while on the ground in custody after running from deputies following a sting operation . The 73-year-old Bates has pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree manslaughter . Bates is white and Harris was black , but the victim 's brother has said he does n't believe the shooting was racially motivated . Attorneys for Harris ' family have repeatedly called on Glanz and Albin to resign .
Tim Albin of the Tulsa County Sheriff 's Office quit his job on Monday . Follows killing of suspect Eric Harris , 44 , by reserve deputy Robert Bates . Bates claims he shot Harris by accident and meant to use his Taser .