hsedin33 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/07/us/south-carolina-officer-charged-murder/index.html link has the video. its pretty unreal South Carolina policeman charged with murder (CNN)A South Carolina officer has been charged with murder after a video surfaced that appears to show him shooting an unarmed man who was running away. Michael Slager, an officer with the North Charleston Police Department, was arrested Tuesday, according to a statement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED. If found guilty of murder, he could face up to life in prison or death. The shooting took place Saturday morning after a traffic stop, SLED said. Video obtained by The New York Times shows what happened. A black man breaks away from the white officer. Something falls, and the officer fires eight shots at the man as he runs away. The man, who appears to be unarmed, drops to the ground. "I can tell you that as the result of that video and the bad decision made by our officer, he will be charged with murder," North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey told reporters Tuesday. "When you're wrong, you're wrong. And if you make a bad decision -- don't care if you're behind the shield or just a citizen on the street -- you have to live by that decision." CNN affiliate WCIV identified the victim as 50-year-old Walter Scott. His family spoke to WCIV over the weekend, before the officer was arrested, describing Scott as a good man who was about to be married. "All we want is the truth, and we'll go any length to get that so that my brother can rest in peace," Anthony Scott told the affiliate. A moment from the video shows the officer, right, and a running man. According to WCIV, Slager initially said through his attorney, David Aylor, that he followed the appropriate policies and procedures. Aylor later told CNN that he no longer represents the officer, and it was unclear whether Slager had obtained new representation. Police reports show that Slager said he used his Taser. The officer later said: "Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser," according to reports. The Justice Department released a statement Tuesday saying it would "take appropriate action in light of the evidence and developments in the state case." "The South Carolina Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation concurrent with the S.C. Law Enforcement Division and are providing aid as necessary to the state investigation. The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the South Carolina U.S. Attorney's Office will work with the FBI in the investigation," it read. North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers, who spoke to CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," described the shooting as tragic. He said the incident began when the officer stopped Scott for driving with a brake light being out. When asked whether he thought race played a role in what happened, Driggers did not rule it out. The fatal shooting was the latest in a string of controversial deaths involving white officers and black suspects. The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, touched off protests and sparked a nationwide debate over race and policing. Brown, an unarmed black teen, was shot by Darren Wilson, a white officer, last August. "I want to believe in my heart of hearts that it was a tragic set of events after a traffic stop," Driggers said. "I always look for the good in folks, and so I would hope that nobody would ever do something like that." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Didn't need to be a psychic to see this coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*VaNcOuVeRCaNuCkS* Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Here we go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsedin33 Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 not that the age matters, but the victim is 50 years old, the guy could barely run ffs. The cop could face life or the death penalty apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejazz97 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 This does not bode well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Obviously the police officer felt his life was in imminent danger so he needed to use lethal force. I mean…. did you see how fast that guy was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonMexico Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 not that the age matters, but the victim is 50 years old, the guy could barely run ffs. The cop could face life or the death penalty apparently. The cop could get executed by the state and Al Sharpton would still want more justice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Do cops Just not want to run anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 The cop could get executed by the state and Al Sharpton would still want more justice. Who cares what Al Sharpton wants or doesn't want? Dude is a tragedy vulture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beary Sweet Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 This was just a plainly horrible incident. Great way to build up your rep as a great state of America Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFBR392 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Why are cops allowed to become so out of shape? A fat lazy office uses his weapon instead of running... seems logical. Proper fitness should be extremely important in that line of work... it's shocking that it isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Who cares what Al Sharpton wants or doesn't want? Dude is a tragedy vulture. so are most posters in Off Topic, to be honest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerrDrFunk Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Dammit....just.....dammit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLindenIsGod Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Why are cops allowed to become so out of shape? A fat lazy office uses his weapon instead of running... seems logical. Proper fitness should be extremely important in that line of work... it's shocking that it isn't. It's not shocking when their only real requirement for applying is being a legal US citizen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuktravella Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 thats ridiculous hopefully the cop gets the death penalty for that absolutely absurd that he thought he could get away with that. To bad canada doesnt hold their police to same standard the polish guy they murdered in yvr makes me sick to be canadian, the cops that tased him should get life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalky Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 The cop could get executed by the state and Al Sharpton would still want more justice. Al Sharpton disapproves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackberries Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Did anyone see where he walks back to his taser he dropped..picks it up walks back to the mans body and drops it there? Im almost sick watching this. so angry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 so are most posters in Off Topic, to be honest True lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoman13 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 A lot of the other police controversies I was on the police's side, often it seems that people just love to try to be offended and outraged by the new 'trend' I don't support the cop on this one though, hopefully he gets charged and it is a wake up call to all other police out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonLever Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Unlike other cases, this is pretty clear cut. Straight up video showing the cop shooting an unarmed fleeing man. Remember, the Ferguson case had conflicting eyewitness testimony. Not the case here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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