The killing of Walter Scott: shot in the back.

AuthorSullum, Jacob
PositionPolice shooting, North Charleston, South Carolina - Citings - Brief article

ON APRIL 7, police in North Charleston, South Carolina, charged one of their own, Patrolman Michael Slager, with murder in the shooting death of a motorist named Walter Scott. Slager initially claimed through an attorney that he feared for his safety when he shot Scott. But video from a bystander shows Slager firing eight rounds at the fleeing man, striking him in the back.

"When you're wrong, you're wrong," North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said after viewing the recording. "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

Slager, who is 33 and white, pulled over Scott, who was 5o and black, because the Mercedes-Benz sedan that Scott was driving had a broken brake light. Scott took off on foot, apparently because he had an outstanding warrant for failure to pay child support. Slager pursued him on foot and eventually drew his Taser. According to a statement the patrolman made through his lawyer, Scott grabbed the weapon during a struggle, at which point Slager "felt threatened." Yet in the three-minute video, which shows the end of the chase and the immediate...

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