Mourners has gathered in Summerville, South Carolina for the funeral of black driver Walter Scott.
Walter Scott was fatally shot by North Charleston police officer Michael Slager after fleeing a traffic stop.
A hearse being escorted by two police on motorcycles drove up as the growing crowd looked on April 11. Mourners waited outside through humidity and a period of light rain while flowers were unloaded and brought inside the sanctuary.
Photo AP
Police initially said Walter Scott was shot on April 4 during a tussle over Michael Slager’s department-issued Taser.
However, a witness video surfaced later, showing Walter Scott being shot eight times as he ran away. Officer Michael Slager was fired and charged with murder.
The incident sparked outrage as another instance of a white law enforcement officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man under questionable circumstances.
Officer Michael Slager, who is charged with murder after shooting Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina, had a prior complaint made against him about using force.
The police are re-investigating Michael Slager’s use of a stun gun on Mario Givens in 2013.
Michael Thomas Slager was charged with the murder of Walter Scott, 50, after a video of Saturday’s fatal shooting emerged.
The witness who shot the video says he saw the two men having a scuffle on the ground before Walter Scott ran away.
Michael Slager was fired by the North Charleston police department following the murder charge.
He has been held without bail and faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
The video, shot by bystander Feidin Santana, shows Michael Slager firing multiple times as Walter Scott runs away.
Michael Slager claimed Walter Scott, a black father of four and former Coast Guard, had taken his stun gun and he had shot in fear of his life.
However, Feidin Santana told NBC News he didn’t see Walter Scott take the stun gun and he turned over the footage after reading the police report’s description of the killing.
“It wasn’t like that, the way they were saying.”
Feidin Santana added that before he starting recording, Walter Scott and the officer were on the ground and Scott was trying to get away.
A stun gun was also at issue in the 2013 complaint Mario Givens filed against the police officer.
Mario Givens said Michael Slager had pushed into his home after coming to his door.
“Come outside or I’ll tase you,” he quoted Michael Slager as saying, adding he then raised his arms over his head but was then stunned in the stomach.
Michael Slager was investigating a complaint against Mario Givens’ brother and apparently mistook Givens for his sibling.
Charges were dropped and Michael Slager was exonerated by a police investigation into the incident.
North Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said the department plans to review the case to see whether its decision was correct.
Protests have been held in North Charleston, South Carolina, following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer.
Officer Michael Slager was charged with murder and sacked after video emerged of him shooting Walter Scott multiple times in the back following a scuffle.
Michael Slager was arrested when authorities reviewed mobile phone video of the shooting, which took place on April 4.
The incident has been widely condemned, and the US Department of Justice and the FBI are investigating.
Cries of “Black lives matter!” rang out as about 50 protesters joined local politicians outside City Hall in North Charleston on April 8.
Appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America, Walter Scott’s mother described the video as “the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen”.
“I almost couldn’t look at it to see my son running defenselessly, being shot. It tore my heart to pieces,” Judy Scott said.
Other members of the family said they were grateful the video came to light and the authorities had acted quickly in response.
Michael Slager was fired from the force on Wednesday, as North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers said he was “sickened” by the video.
The incident on April 4 began after Walter Scott’s car was stopped for having a broken rear light, local media reported.
A video of the incident published by the New York Times shows a brief scuffle before Walter Scott begins running away.
The video then shows the officer firing several shots at Walter Scott, who falls to the ground.
Michael Slager said at the weekend, through his lawyer, that he feared for his safety as Walter Scott had tried to grab his stun gun.
The same lawyer, David Aylor, told the Daily Beast he dropped Michael Slager as a client after the video become public.
Michael Slager appeared without a lawyer at his first court hearing on April 7. He could face up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
Walter Scott had four children, was engaged and had been honorably discharged from the US Coast Guard.
According to the Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston, Walter Scott had been arrested about 10 times, mostly for failing to pay child support or not showing up for court hearings.
South Carolina police officer Michael Slager has been charged with murder after video emerged of him shooting a black man running away from him.
State investigators arrested North Charleston Officer Michael Slager on April 7 after viewing the mobile phone video of the shooting.
According to authorities, victim Walter Lamer Scott was shot after the white officer had already targeted him with a stun gun.
The US Department of Justice is set to launch an investigation.
“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said, announcing the arrest.
“When you make a bad decision, I don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”
Photo North Charleston Police
Police officers in the US fatally shoot and kill hundreds of people each year, but only a handful of cases result in the officer facing criminal charges.
The incident on April 4 began after Walter Lamer Scott’s car was stopped for having a broken rear light, local media reported.
A video of the incident published by the New York Times shows a brief scuffle before Walter Lamer Scott begins running away. The video then shows Officer Michael Slager firing several shots at Walter Lamer Scott, who falls to the ground.
The Postand Courier newspaper of Charleston reported that Walter Lamer Scott had been arrested about 10 times, mostly for failing to pay child support or show up for court hearings.
His brother, Anthony Scott, told the Post and Courier that he believed his brother fled from Michael Slager because he owed child support.
Anthony Scott said that because of the video, “we have received the truth” and “through the process, justice has been served”.
Chris Stewart, a lawyer for Walter Lamer Scott’s family, called the passer-by who recorded the video a “hero”.
The shooting occurred as heightened scrutiny is being placed on police officer shootings, particularly those that involve white officers and unarmed black suspects.
A grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Missouri officer Darren Wilson over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown last August, leading to nationwide protests.
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