Killing of Walter Scott
 Location of North Charleston within South Carolina | |
| Date | Saturday, April 4, 2015 |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:30 a.m. |
| Location | North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32°53′57″N 80°00′51″W / 32.8993°N 80.0142°W[a] |
| Filmed by | Feidin Santana |
| Deaths | Walter Scott |
| Accused | P1C Michael Slager, NCPD |
| Charges | First degree murder |
The shooting of Walter Scott occurred on April 4, 2015, in North Charleston, South Carolina, during a daytime traffic stop for a broken taillight.[1][2] Scott, a 50-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Michael Slager, 33, a white North Charleston police officer.[1] Slager was charged with murder after a video surfaced showing him shooting Scott in the back while Scott was fleeing.
Backgrounds
Walter Scott
Walter Lamer Scott,[3] a 50-year-old black man, served two years in the U.S. Coast Guard before being honorably discharged. He had four children.[3][4] Weeks before the shooting, he was engaged to marry his long-time girlfriend.[5]
After the shooting, examination of Scott's police record indicated ten arrests, mostly for contempt of court regarding failure to pay child support or to appear for court hearings.[1]
Michael Slager
Michael Thomas Slager, a 33-year-old white man, served in the North Charleston Police Department for five years and five months prior to the shooting. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard prior to becoming a police officer.[6]
Slager was named in a police complaint in 2013 after he allegedly "tased a man for no reason"; Slager was cleared in that incident. Personnel documents describe Slager as having demonstrated "great officer safety tactics" in dealing with suspects, and noted his proficiency with a Taser.[6]
Shooting
At 9:30 a.m. in the area of Craig Road and Remount Road,[7] Scott was stopped by Slager for allegedly having a broken taillight on his Mercedes Benz, which he had purchased three days earlier.[8] Scott attempted to flee, and was hit by Slager's Taser. Slager then took out his handgun and fired eight rounds at Scott, hitting him five times in the back, buttocks, and ear.[1] Immediately after the shooting, Slager told the dispatcher, "Shots fired and the subject is down, he took my Taser."[9]
The shooting was recorded by bystander Feidin Santana, who handed over the video to Scott's family and subsequently shared it with the news media.[10] At the time of the shooting, Scott seems to be 15 feet (5 m) to 20 feet (6 m) away and fleeing.[1] In the report of the shooting, filed before the video surfaced, Slager said he had feared for his life because Scott had taken his stun gun,[1] and that he shot Scott several times because he "felt threatened".[11]
After Scott dropped to the ground, Slager approached him, repeatedly instructed him to place his hands behind his back, and handcuffed him, leaving him face down on the ground. Slager's report said that officers performed CPR on Scott, although no such action is visible on the video.[1] The video shows that Slager ran back toward where the initial scuffle occurred and picked something up off the ground. Moments later, he dropped an object near Scott's body. Another officer is seen in the video at that time; he puts on latex gloves and appears to examine Scott.[12]
The bystander who took the video said that after a struggle, Scott was "just trying to get away" from Slager's Taser, and that before he started recording he observed that Slager "had control of the situation".[13]
Aftermath
Arrest
After police reviewed the video,[1] Slager was arrested on April 7 and charged with first degree murder.[14] He is being held without bail. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison or the death penalty.[15]
Investigation
The FBI, the U.S. Attorney in South Carolina, and the Justice Department's civil rights division are investigating Scott's killing.[13]
Notes
- ^ Intersection of Craig and Remount. Exact location of the shooting has not been reported.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Schmidt, Michael S.; Apuzzo, Matt (April 7, 2015). "South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder in Black Man's Death". The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ Welch, William M. (April 7, 2015). "S.C. police officer facing charges in traffic stop shooting". USA Today. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Bruce Smith (April 8, 2015). "White SC officer charged with murder in black man's shooting". Associated Press.
- ^ Dana Ford (April 7, 2015). "South Carolina policeman charged with murder". CNN.
- ^ Andrew Buncombe (April 8, 2015). "Walter Scott profile: Coast Guard veteran gunned down by Michael Slager had just proposed to his girlfriend". The Independent.
- ^ a b "Officer Michael Thomas Slager of South Carolina: What we know about him". CNN. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "North Charleston police officer charged with murder after witness video released". WCIV. Charleston, South Carolina. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ "How video of the fatal South Carolina police shooting reignites the body camera debate". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ "South Carolina police officer charged with murder after shooting man during traffic stop". Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ "Coroner: Walter Scott died from multiple gunshot wounds to the back". WCSC. Charleston, South Carolina. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ "North Charleston officer faces murder charge after video shows him shooting man in back". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ "What Footage Shows in Fatal Shooting by Police Officer". abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Bystander: S.C. victim, cop struggled before killing". USA Today. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ Martinez, Michael (April 8, 2015). "South Carolina cop shoots unarmed man: A timeline". CNN. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ "Michael Slager, S.C. Cop, Charged With Murder of Black Man Walter Scott". nbcnews.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
External links
- Raw video of the shooting via iNews (YouTube)
- New York Times video (with annotations and enhanced close up of a dropped object)
