White cop charged with murder in death of unarmed black man

[Martinus]

White cop charged with murder in death of unarmed black man

By Joe Tacopino
..
April 7, 2015 | 7:01pm

A white South Carolina cop was charged with murder Tuesday ­after a shocking video showed him shooting a black man in the back as the unarmed victim ran from him, authorities said.

Officer Michael Thomas Slager, 33, was arrested after officials saw the video of him shooting 50-year-old Walter Lamer Scott Saturday following a traffic stop gone bad.

"When you're wrong, you're wrong," North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said.

"If you make a bad decision, I don't care if you're behind the shield or just a citizen on the street, you have to live by that decision."

The video of the shooting — released by the Scott family's attorney Tuesday — shows the officer firing multiple shots into Scott's back as the victim was fleeing.

Scott falls to the ground about 20 feet from officer, who then slowly approaches him — and puts him in handcuffs.

"Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser," Slager radios in moments after the shooting.

The officer then jogs back to the spot where he opened fire. He then picks up the Taser and drops it next to Scott's body.

Of the eight bullets the officer fired, five struck Scott, four in the back, and one in the ear.

The damning video was taken apparently by a passer-by, whose identity has not been revealed.

Scott, a father of four and a Coast Guard veteran, had been pulled over for a minor traffic ­violation when the situation took a deadly turn.

Slager's attorney initially told Tampa, Fla., TV station WFLA that the officer was being overpowered by Scott, and the cop fired because he felt threatened.

But after the video surfaced, the lawyer, David Aylor, of Charleston, said he would no longer represent Slager and called the shooting a "terrible tragedy that has impacted our community."

The attorney for the Scotts said Tuesday that they are "grateful" to the man who came forward with the video.

"There is nothing that can bring their son and brother back," said the lawyer, L. Chris Stewart, of Atlanta. "But they are relieved that charges were filed."

The lawyer said Scott may have tried to run because he owed child support, which can get someone sent to jail in South Carolina until it's paid.

The shooting took place in the wake of cases in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island in which black men died in confrontations with white officers, incidents that have sparked a national debate about police brutality.

North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers said at a press conference that he was dumbfounded by the video revelations.

"I have been around this police department a long time and all the officers on this force, the men and women, are like my children," he said. "So you tell me how a father would react seeing his child do something. I'll let you answer that yourself."

http://nypost.com/2015/04/07/cop-charged-with-murder-of-motorist-after-jarring-video-surfaces/

Wow, when your attorney drops your case in disgust, you know you have done wrong.

[Liep]

Keep it to the killer cop megathread, please.

[MadImmortalMan]

Cop kills black man has become too vague for its own thread.

[Martinus]

Keep it to the killer cop megathread, please.

By the way, what happened to CdM?

[Eddie Teach]

You'd have to ask him.

[dps]

Wow, when your attorney drops your case in disgust, you know you have done wrong.

It gets filed under "Even Evil has standards". 

Or, less facetiously, don't appreciate their clients lying to them--it just makes their job harder.

[jimmy olsen]

Mashes up a bunch of articles written before the video became avaliable as an example of showing how this kind of thing is often swept under the rug by the media which just regurgitates what the police tell them.

If you want to see all the sources this was made from, you can check out all the embedded links here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/08/walter-scott-shooting-without-video_n_7024404.html

This article is written as if the alleged murder of Walter Scott had not been captured on video that was made public Tuesday by The New York Times and other outlets.

A North Charleston police officer was forced to use his service weapon Saturday during a scuffle with a suspect who tried to overpower him and seize the officer's Taser, authorities said.

The man, who has a history of violence and a long arrest record, died on the scene as a result of the encounter, despite officers performing CPR and delivering first aid, according to police reports.

The shooting was the 11th this year by a South Carolina police officer. The State Law Enforcement Division has begun an investigation into the incident.

Police identified the officer involved as Patrolman 1st Class Michael Thomas Slager and the suspect as Walter Lamar Scott, 50, of Meadowlawn Drive in West Ashley. Slager, 33, served honorably in the military before joining the North Charleston Police Department more than five years ago. He has never been disciplined during his time on the force, his attorney said.

The incident occurred behind a pawn shop on Craig Street and Remount Road. Slager initially pulled Scott over for a broken taillight. During the stop, police and witnesses say Scott fled the vehicle on foot. When Slager caught up with him a short distance from the street, Scott reportedly attempted to overpower Slager. Police say that during the struggle, the man gained control of the Taser and attempted to use it against the officer.

It was during that  scuffle that the officer fired his service weapon, fatally wounding Scott.

"Shots fired, and the subject is down. He took my Taser," Slager radioed immediately following the shooting.

Slager "felt threatened and reached for his department-issued firearm and fired his weapon," his attorney said in a statement on Sunday. "I believe once the community hears all the facts of this shooting, they'll have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding this investigation."

Slager's attorney maintained that the officer believed he properly followed all procedures and policies before resorting to deadly force.

"This is part of the job that no one likes and wishes would never happen," Police Chief Eddie Driggers said, according to a release. "This type of situation is unfortunate and difficult for everyone. We are confident that SLED will conduct a complete and thorough investigation into the incident and provide their findings to all concerned."

A previous accusation that Slager assaulted a burglary victim was found to be without merit. In that case, it was determined that the officer had been within his rights to use force to defend himself after a man tried to overpower him.

Scott had a lengthy rap sheet extending back to at least 1987, when he was arrested on a charge of assault and battery. In 1991, he was convicted of possession of a bludgeon. He also had a history of arrests related to contempt of court charges for failing to pay child support, and in 2008 was convicted of driving under suspension and having an open alcohol container in his car.

Samuel Scott, a 55-year-old man who identified himself as Scott's cousin, said he was shocked by the news.

"He wasn't no criminal. He wasn't young and in the streets. He was a grown man working hard to take care of his family," he told the Charleston Post and Courier of his cousin. "He's not a violent guy -- never seen him argue with anybody. I just can't see it."

Saturday's encounter bears similarities to the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, which kicked off a national conversation about the use of force by police. Authorities there ultimately determined that Brown had attempted to overpower Officer Darren Wilson and run before turning back and charging the officer, who was forced to deploy his service weapon in the encounter.

Slager was placed on administrative duty, pending the outcome of the state investigation.

This article relies entirely on local news reports, which sourced their version of events to information from police, the attorney for the officer, "witnesses" and police statements. Many of those claims turned out to be lies. Slager has been charged with murder. Whenever possible, this article pulls verbatim from local news reports.

[Razgovory]

Keep it to the killer cop megathread, please.

By the way, what happened to CdM?

He's tired of your bullshit.

[crazy canuck]

Keep it to the killer cop megathread, please.

By the way, what happened to CdM?

He's tired of your bullshit.

I thought we were not going to discuss his reason for leaving outside TBR 

[Grinning_Colossus]

Mcnutty left? 

[Razgovory]

Keep it to the killer cop megathread, please.

By the way, what happened to CdM?

He's tired of your bullshit.

I thought we were not going to discuss his reason for leaving outside TBR 

I ain't in the back room.

[Archy]

Small funny thing
"Slager" means "butcher" in Dutch so seems appropiate as family name for this cop 

[Caliga]

Heh, that's funny.  IIRC butcher is "schlechter" in German, or at least the funny dialect of German I know.

[Norgy]

Did anyone ever see "The Devil's Advocate"? Some French attorney defending Pol Pot and the Khmer Rougue.

You can always get someone to defend you, no matter what despicable person you are.

[Valmy]

Did anyone ever see "The Devil's Advocate"? Some French attorney defending Pol Pot and the Khmer Rougue.

You can always get someone to defend you, no matter what despicable person you are.

Lawyers gotta eat.