Police
South Carolina Police Officer Charged With Murder In Man’s Death
A South Carolina officer has been charged with murder after a shocking video shows the officer shooting the victim as he was running away
A South Carolina officer has been charged with murder after a shocking video shows the officer shooting the victim as he was running away.
South Carolina officer kills man
North Charleston officer Michael T. Slager, 33, was charged with murder on Tuesday, for shooting the man in the back while he was running away. Officer Slager said he feared for his life because the man took his stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop on Saturday. A video, however, shows the officer firing eight times as the man fled. The North Charleston mayor announced the state charges at a news conference Tuesday evening.
The shooting happened after Officer Slager stopped a Mercedes-Benz with a broken taillight, according to police reports. The driver, Walter L. Scott, 50, ran away, and Officer Slager chased him into a grassy lot that abuts a muffler shop. He fired his Taser, an electronic stun gun, but it did not stop Mr. Scott, according to police reports.
Moments after the struggle, Officer Slager reported on his radio, “Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser,” according to police reports.
But the video, that was recorded by a bystander, details a different account of what happened. The video begins in a vacant lot. You can see wires, which carry the electrical current from the stun gun, appear to be extending from Mr. Scott’s body as the two men tussle and Mr. Scott turns to run. This is when Officer Slager fires his weapon eight times and Scott falls to the ground.
The shooting is being investigated by The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The F.B.I. and the Justice Department, which has opened a string of civil rights investigations into police departments under Mr. Holder, is also investigating the shooting.
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
-
Social Justice5 days ago
Tamir Rice’s mother calls for $23 donations to support youth center in her son’s honor
-
Culture3 days ago
Exclusive : South Carolina sneak preview of ‘40 ACRES’ at Saloma Acres in Blythewood
-
News2 weeks ago
George Floyd’s 11-year-old daughter says she’s being bullied in school
-
Crime & Justice2 days ago
One dead after shooting during concert on Long Branch, New Jersey beach
-
Social Justice2 weeks ago
Community rallies to preserve Knoxville African American cemetery and memorialize Black Veterans buried in unmarked graves
-
Crime & Justice6 days ago
Florida woman arrested for reportedly pepper-spraying Black kids
-
Culture6 days ago
Clara Adams Fights Back After Disqualification, Heads to Nationals with Community Support
-
In Memoriam6 days ago
Remembering Sly Stone: The Architect of Racial Integration & Harmony in Music