NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — A white South Carolina police officer has been charged with murder for shooting an apparently unarmed black man five times as he ran away.
There is video that captured the horrific incident, which contradicts Officer Michael Slager’s account of how things went down. The victim, Walter Scott, 50, was pulled over for having a broken taillight on his Mercedes-Benz.
According to the officer’s original account, Scott ran away from Officer Michael Slager during the stop. Slager said he ran after Scott, and then fired his Taser, allegedly to no avail.
Police say the Taser did not stop Scott and the men wrestled. The video was first obtained and first posted by the New York Times, begins right after the scuffle. Scott is seen running away from Slager, who opens fire 8 times. Scott was hit 3 times in the back, once in the butt, and once in the ear.
In his first communication after the shooting over his walkie talkie, Slager allegedly said, “Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser.”
The NY Times slowed down and enhanced a portion of the video after the shooting — and it appears Slager dropped something next to Scott’s body.
Scott was pronounced dead at the scene.
The FBI and Justice Dept. are investigating the incident.