( CNN ) An Oklahoma reserve sheriff 's deputy accused of fatally shooting a man he says he meant to subdue with a Taser pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of second-degree manslaughter . At the hearing , the judge granted Robert Bates permission to go to the Bahamas for a family vacation . That decision prompted a response from the family of Eric Harris , the man Bates killed . `` We are not surprised that Mr. Bates pled not guilty . We are , however , surprised that Mr. Bates would choose to go on a vacation to the Bahamas during this tumultuous time . Whether intended or not , Mr. Bates ' vacationing in the Bahamas at this time sends a message of apathy with respect to the shooting and Eric 's life . 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 . '' Bates ' preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 2 . `` This will give us an opportunity to deal with the facts in the courtroom instead of the media and we 're looking very much forward to that , '' said Clark Brewster , one of his lawyers , after the hearing . Bates , 73 , was working as a reserve deputy for the Tulsa County Sheriff 's Office on April 2 when he was involved the arrest of Eric Harris in a weapons sting operation . Bates claims he meant to stun Harris with a Taser after Harris fled from officers , but mistakenly shot Harris with a gun instead . Bates has said the shooting was accidental . He has apologized to the Harris family , as has Sheriff Stanley Glanz . The lawyer for the family of the man who was killed claims that Bates was n't qualified to be on the force , but received preferential treatment because he 'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff . The Tulsa World newspaper reported some supervisors in the Tulsa County Sheriff 's Office were told to forge Bates ' records and were reassigned when they refused . The Tulsa County Sheriff 's Office has denied these allegations . Over the weekend , one of Bates ' lawyers released most of his training documents and said they prove Bates had proper law enforcement training . Two deputies involved in arrest of Harris have been reassigned because of threats against them and their families , Glanz said Monday in a news conference . Lawyer releases training records for Tulsa deputy charged in killing . CNN 's Jason Morris and Ed Lavandera contributed to this report .
Robert Bates said he meant to subdue a suspect with a Taser but accidentally shot him . The preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 2 . The judge said Bates was free to travel to the Oklahoma for a family vacation .