Video Captures White South Carolina Police Officer Shooting Black Man Who Was Running Away; Officer Charged With Murder
A white South Carolina police officer has been arrested and charged with murder for the shooting of a black man who was running away during a traffic shop in an incident that was caught on video.
CBS affiliate WCSC reported that North Charleston Patrolman First Class Michael Slager, 33, was denied bail on Tuesday night after being arrested for shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott.
"As a result of that video and bad decisions made by our officer, he will be charged with murder," said North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey.
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The shooting reportedly occurred on Saturday morning and was recorded by an observer, who documented how Slager fired multiple shots at Scott, who was running away from the scene after initially being detained at a traffic stop.
Lonnie Randolph Jr., the president of the NAACP SC State Conference, said in a statement: "Our sympathies go out to the family of Mr. Scott who must endure the heartache that follows such a tragic event. The NAACP will remain engaged locally as members of the community attempt to process the details of this incident.
"We acknowledge the brave citizen who captured the shooting incident on video then swiftly released it to the public. I cannot underscore enough how important it is for persons who witness alleged crimes to give an account of what they saw," Randolph added.
Summey added that the video is "very demonstrative," and admitted that without it, it would have been difficult to resolve the issue. Authorities said that Scott was shot with bullets after Slager had already hit him with a stun gun.
"When you're wrong, you're wrong," Summey said. "When you make a bad decision, don't care if you're behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision."
Fox News noted that Slager, a five-year veteran of the North Charleston force, faces 30 year to life in prison if convicted of the murder.
The grainy 3-minute long footage of the incident was obtained by The Post and Courier of Charleston from a source who chose to remain anonymous.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will work with the State Law Enforcement Division on the case, which typically investigates officer-involved shootings in South Carolina.
Late on Tuesday, Scott's older brother, Anthony Scott, asked for prayers from the community at a news conference.
"From the beginning ... all we wanted was the truth," he said. "Through this process, we've received the truth. ... We can't get my brother back, and my family is in deep mourning because of that."
