| Killing of Walter Scott | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot from witness's video, showing Officer Michael Slager shooting Walter Scott | |
| Location | North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Coordinates |
|
| Date | April 4, 2015 9:30 a.m. (EDT) |
Attack type | Police killing, homicide by shooting |
| Victim | Walter Lamar Scott, aged 50 |
| Perpetrator | Michael Thomas Slager |
| Verdict | Federal charge: Guilty State charge: Mistrial[a] |
| Charges | Federal charge: Deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in death[b] State charge: Murder |
| Filmed by | Feidin Santana |
| Sentence | 20 years in federal prison |
| Litigation | Wrongful death lawsuit settled for $6.5 million |
On April 4, 2015, Walter Scott, a 50-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Michael Slager, a local police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Slager had stopped Scott for a non-functioning brake light.[1][2] Slager was charged with murder after a video surfaced showing him shooting Scott from behind while Scott was fleeing, which contradicted Slager's report of the incident. The racial difference led many to believe that the shooting was racially motivated, generating a widespread controversy.[3]
The case was independently investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division conducted their own investigations. In June 2015, a South Carolina grand jury indicted Slager on a charge of murder. He was released on bond in January 2016. In late 2016, a five-week trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. In May 2016, Slager was indicted on federal charges including violation of Scott's civil rights and obstruction of justice. In a May 2017 plea agreement, Slager pleaded guilty to federal charges of civil rights violations, and he was returned to jail pending sentencing.[4][5] In return for his guilty plea, the state's murder charges were dropped.[5]
In December 2017, Slager was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the judge determining the underlying offense was second-degree murder.[6]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Judge allows lesser charge of manslaughter in former South Carolina cop's murder trial". Chicago Tribune. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ "Prosecutor: Officer's shooting of unarmed man in back "flat out wrong"". CBS News. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ "Controversial Police Encounters Fast Facts". CNN. March 26, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Blinder, Alan (May 2, 2017). "Ex-Officer Who Shot Walter Scott Pleads Guilty in Charleston". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ a b Murdock, Sebastian (May 2, 2017). "Michael Slager Pleads Guilty In Killing Of Unarmed, Fleeing Black Man Walter Scott". HuffPost. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Edwards, Meridith; Andone, Dakin (December 7, 2017). "Slager gets 20 years for Walter Scott killing". CNN. Retrieved December 7, 2017.