Shooting of Walter Scott

Shooting of Walter Scott

Screenshot of phone video taken by eyewitness Feidin Santana, showing Officer Michael Slager shooting Walter Scott
Time 9:30 a.m. (EDT)
Date Saturday, April 4, 2015
Location North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates 32°53′57″N 80°00′50″W / 32.89926°N 80.01394°WCoordinates: 32°53′57″N 80°00′50″W / 32.89926°N 80.01394°W[lower-alpha 1]
Filmed by Feidin Santana
Deaths Walter Scott
Accused Officer Michael Slager, North Charleston Police Department
Charges First degree murder

The shooting of Walter Scott occurred on April 4, 2015, in North Charleston, South Carolina, following a daytime traffic stop for a nonfunctioning brake light. Scott, a black man, was fatally shot by Michael Slager, a white North Charleston police officer.[1] Slager was charged with murder after a video surfaced contradicting his earlier police report. The video showed him shooting Scott from behind while Scott was fleeing.

The case will be independently investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Attorney in South Carolina, and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division will conduct their own investigations.

Backgrounds

Walter Scott

Portrait photo of Walter Scott in U.S. Coast Guard uniform with an American flag partially visible in the background.
Scott during his service in the U.S. Coast Guard in the mid-1980s

Walter L. Scott (February 9, 1965 – April 4, 2015),[2] a 50-year-old black man, was a forklift operator, studying massage therapy, and the father of four children.[3][4][5] Scott previously served two years in the U.S. Coast Guard before being given a general discharge in 1986 for a drug-related incident.[6] Weeks before the shooting, he became engaged to marry his long-time girlfriend.[7]

After the shooting, examination of Scott's police record indicated ten arrests, mostly for contempt of court regarding failure to pay child support or to appear for court hearings. He was also arrested in 1987 on an assault and battery charge, and convicted in 1991 of possession of a bludgeon.[1]

Michael Slager

Portrait photo of Michael Slager in police uniform with an American flag partially visible in the background.
Slager in an undated official NCPD photo

Michael Thomas Slager (born November 14, 1981),[8] a white police officer and native of New Jersey, served in the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) for five years and five months prior to the shooting. Prior to becoming a police officer he too served in the U.S. Coast Guard.[9] At the time of the shooting, Slager's wife was eight months pregnant with their first child.[9]

Slager was named in a police complaint in 2013 after he allegedly tased a man for no reason. Slager was cleared in that incident, although the victim and several witnesses said they were never interviewed. North Charleston police said they would now review that case.[10] Slager has also been named in a complaint for unnecessarily tasing a man during a police stop in August 2014.[11] In another complaint in January 2015, he was cited for failing to file a report after an African-American woman called police because her children were being harassed.[9]

Personnel documents describe Slager as having demonstrated "great officer safety tactics" in dealing with suspects, and noted his proficiency with a Taser.[9]

Location

North Charleston, South Carolina, has been ranked as one of the more dangerous cities in the United States,[12] but its crime rate had declined by 2010. This is credited by city officials to intensive policing.[13] Local residents have complained that this policing includes the harassment and racial profiling of African Americans, including frequent use of Tasers without cause.[14][15] In North Charleston, whites make up 37% of the population, but the police department is 80% white.[16]

Shooting

At 9:30 a.m., April 4, 2015, in the parking lot of an auto parts store at 1945 Remount Road,[17] Slager stopped Scott for a nonfunctioning third brake light.[18] Scott was driving a 1991 Mercedes that he had just bought from a neighbor and was headed to the auto parts store when he was stopped, according to his brother.[19] The video from Slager's dashcam shows him approaching Scott's car, speaking to Scott, and then returning to his patrol car. Scott exited his car and fled, and Slager gave chase.[20][21]

Slager fired his Taser at Scott, according to the incident report and city officials, and police said Scott was hit at least once.[22] Scott then fled again, and Slager drew his handgun and fired eight rounds at Scott from behind. A lawyer for Scott’s family said the coroner had told him that Scott was struck five times—three times in the back, once in the upper buttocks, and once in the ear, with at least one bullet entering his heart. Official autopsy reports have not been released.[1] Immediately after the shooting, Slager told the dispatcher, "Shots fired and the subject is down, he took my Taser."[22]

When Slager fired, Scott seemed to be 15 to 20 feet (5 to 6 m) away and fleeing.[1] In the report of the shooting, filed before the video surfaced, Slager said he had feared for his life because Scott had taken his Taser,[1] and that he shot Scott several times because he "felt threatened".[23]

A passenger in the car when Scott was pulled over was later detained and placed in the back of a police vehicle.[24]

Eyewitness video

External video
Traffic stop
Shooting

An eyewitness to the shooting, Feidin Santana, recorded video of the incident on his phone.[25] The video was subsequently shared with Scott's family through an activist of Black Lives Matter, and later with the news media.[25][26] Santana said that after a struggle, in which Slager deployed his Taser, Scott was "just trying to get away from the Taser", and that before he started recording he observed that Slager "had control of the situation".[27] In an interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show, Santana said Scott "never grabbed the Taser of the police. He never got the Taser."[28]

After Scott dropped to the ground, Slager approached him, repeatedly instructed him to place his hands behind his back, and handcuffed him, leaving him face down on the ground. Police reports said that officers performed CPR on Scott, although no such action is visible on the video.[1] The video shows that Slager ran back toward where the initial scuffle occurred and picked something up off the ground. Moments later, he dropped the object, possibly the Taser, beside Scott's body.[29][30]

Another officer, identified as Clarence W. Habersham Jr., is seen in the video at that time; he puts on latex gloves and appears to examine Scott.[29][31]

Aftermath

After police reviewed the video,[1] Slager was arrested on April 7 and charged with first degree murder.[32] He is being held without bail. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison or the death penalty.[33]

There have been calls for the prosecution of Clarence Habersham, the second officer seen in the video, for an attempted cover up, with allegations that he made false statements and deliberately left facts out of his report in an alleged attempt to protect Slager.[34] Habersham has also been criticized for stating that he attempted to render aid to the victim by applying pressure to the gunshot wounds despite no such indication in the video.[35]

On April 8, the North Charleston city manager announced that the NCPD had fired Slager but would continue to pay for his health insurance because his wife was pregnant.[36] The town's mayor, Keith Summey, said they had ordered an additional 150 body cameras, enough that one can be worn by every police officer.[24]

A GoFundMe campaign was started to raise money for Slager's defense, but it was quickly shut down by the site. Citing privacy concerns, they declined to go into detail about why the campaign was cancelled, saying only that it was "due to a violation of our terms and conditions".[37]

Scott's funeral took place on April 11, 2015, at the W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center in Summerville, about 20 miles from North Charleston.[38][2]

Investigation

The use of deadly force by law enforcement in the United States is subject to the 1985 Tennessee v. Garner decision, which ruled that when a law enforcement officer is pursuing a fleeing suspect, he or she may not use deadly force to prevent escape unless "the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others".[1][39]

The FBI, the U.S. Attorney in South Carolina, and the Justice Department's civil rights division are investigating Scott's killing.[27]

The case will be independently investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).[40]

National impact

Scott's killing reignited a national conversation around race and policing.[41] It has been connected to similar events in Missouri, New York, and elsewhere.[42]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Location of the traffic stop. Exact location of the shooting has not been reported.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Schmidt, Michael S.; Apuzzo, Matt (April 7, 2015). "South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder of Walter Scott". The New York Times (Washington). Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Walter Scott Funeral: Mourners Pay Respects to South Carolina Man Killed by Cop". NBC News. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ Robles, Frances. "Racism Denounced at Walter Scott’s Funeral One Week After Police Shooting New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ Smith, Bruce (April 8, 2015). "White SC officer charged with murder in black man's shooting". Associated Press. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  5. ↑ Ford, Dana (April 7, 2015). "South Carolina policeman charged with murder". CNN. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ Campbell, Colin (April 9, 2015). "Walter Scott, killed by S.C. officer, served in Coast Guard at Curtis Bay". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Buncombe, Andrew (April 8, 2015). "Walter Scott profile: Coast Guard veteran gunned down by Michael Slager had just proposed to his girlfriend". The Independent. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Slager, Michael Thomas". charlestoncounty.org. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Officer Michael Thomas Slager of South Carolina: What we know about him". CNN. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ Schuppe, Jon (April 10, 2015). "North Charleston Man Filed Abuse Complaint Against Officer Michael Slager in 2013". NBC News.
  11. ↑ Sickles, Jason (April 14, 2015). "Video captured 2014 Taser shooting involving SC officer Michael Slager". Yahoo! News. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ Paras, Andy (November 19, 2007). "North Charleston crime 7th in U.S.". The Post and Courier. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  13. ↑ Hicks, Brian (November 26, 2010). City finally off crime naughty list, postandcourier.com; retrieved April 8, 2015.
  14. ↑ Blinder, Alan; Fernandez, Manny (April 9, 2015). "South Carolina Police Shooting Seen as Crime Strategy Gone Awry". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ Daily, Michael (April 8, 2015). "'Taser Town' And The Shots Heard 'Round The World'". The Daily Beast.
  16. ↑ McCormack, Simon (April 8, 2015). "Demographics Of North Charleston Police Department Tell A Familiar Story". The Huffington Post.
  17. ↑ Knapp, Andrew (April 6, 2015). "Attorney: North Charleston police officer felt threatened before fatal shooting". The Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  18. ↑ Knapp, Andrew (April 9, 2015). "To North Charleston police critics, dash video strikes at heart of problem". The Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Large crowd attends funeral for Walter Scott, man shot by S.C. police officer charged with murder". Cleveland Plain Dealer. April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  20. ↑ "South Carolina police shooting: Dash cam video released". CNN. April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  21. ↑ "New witness, dash cam video emerge in South Carolina shooting case". CNN. April 10, 2015.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Berman, Mark; Lowery, Wesley; Kindy, Kimberly (April 7, 2015). "South Carolina police officer charged with murder after shooting man during traffic stop". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  23. ↑ "North Charleston officer faces murder charge after video shows him shooting man in back". The Post and Courier. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "South Carolina police shooting: Walter Scott had a passenger". CNN. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Police Shooting Witness Says He Saw Officer Drop Something by Walter Scott's Body". Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Coroner: Walter Scott died from multiple gunshot wounds to the back". WCSC (Charleston, South Carolina). April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Bystander: S.C. victim, cop struggled before killing". USA Today. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Walter Scott Didn't Grab Taser, Man Who Recorded South Carolina Police Shooting Video Says". KTLA 5. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "What Footage Shows in Fatal Shooting by Police Officer". ABC News. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  30. ↑ Swaine, Jon (April 9, 2015). "South Carolina shooting witness: victim 'just wanted to get away from the Taser'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  31. ↑ Fernandez, Manny (April 17, 2015). "After Walter Scott Shooting, Scrutiny Turns to 2nd Officer". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  32. ↑ Martinez, Michael (April 8, 2015). "South Carolina cop shoots unarmed man: A timeline". CNN. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  33. ↑ Ortiz, Erik (April 7, 2015). "Michael Slager, S.C. Cop, Charged With Murder of Black Man Walter Scott". NBC News. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  34. ↑ Linshi, Jack. "South Carolina Shooting: Critics Want 2nd Officer in Video Prosecuted". Time.
  35. ↑ Blinder, Alan (April 13, 2015). "Critics call for 2nd officer to be prosecuted in Carolina shooting". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  36. ↑ "City takes action against cop who shot black man in back". Associated Press. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015 – via CBS News.
  37. ↑ Williams, Lauren C. "GoFundMe Rejects Campaign To Support South Carolina Officer Charged With Murder". ThinkProgress. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Walter Scott". The Post and Courier. Retrieved April 11, 2015 – via Legacy.com.
  39. ↑ United States Supreme Court (March 27, 1985). "471 U.S. 1 TENNESSEE v. GARNER ET AL. APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT". Findlaw. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  40. ↑ "SLED awaiting approval to release Walter Scott dash cam footage". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  41. ↑ Ford, Dana (April 14, 2015). "New audio captures aftermath of deadly South Carolina shooting". CNN. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  42. ↑ "From Trayvon Martin to Walter Scott: Cases in the Spotlight". TIME Magazine. April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

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