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| Officer Who Shot Walter Scott to Plead Guilty in Charleston | Officer Who Shot Walter Scott to Plead Guilty in Charleston |
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| CHARLESTON, S.C. — The former South Carolina police officer who was recorded on video when he opened fire on a fleeing black motorist, killing him, in 2015 will plead guilty on Tuesday, people familiar with the case said. | CHARLESTON, S.C. — The former South Carolina police officer who was recorded on video when he opened fire on a fleeing black motorist, killing him, in 2015 will plead guilty on Tuesday, people familiar with the case said. |
| Michael T. Slager, who was a North Charleston police officer when he shot and killed the motorist, Walter L. Scott, will enter his plea in Federal District Court in Charleston. Four people familiar with the case confirmed the existence of an agreement. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced formally. A lawyer for Mr. Slager, Andrew J. Savage III, did not respond to a request for comment. | |
| Ryan Julison, a spokesman for lawyers representing Mr. Scott’s family, said he could not comment on whether a plea agreement was in place. | Ryan Julison, a spokesman for lawyers representing Mr. Scott’s family, said he could not comment on whether a plea agreement was in place. |
| It was not immediately clear which charges Mr. Slager, who is white, might plead guilty to. He was scheduled to go on trial this month on charges that he violated Mr. Scott’s civil rights. In December, his murder trial in state court concluded in a mistrial. | |
| The charges stemmed from an episode that brought international condemnation. In April 2015, Officer Slager stopped Mr. Scott, 50, for a broken taillight. Mr. Scott fled on foot, and Mr. Slager eventually drew his weapon and fired at Mr. Scott’s back. | The charges stemmed from an episode that brought international condemnation. In April 2015, Officer Slager stopped Mr. Scott, 50, for a broken taillight. Mr. Scott fled on foot, and Mr. Slager eventually drew his weapon and fired at Mr. Scott’s back. |
| A pedestrian filmed part of the fatal encounter, and within days Mr. Slager was fired and charged with murder. The City of North Charleston later reached a $6.5 million settlement with Mr. Scott’s family. | A pedestrian filmed part of the fatal encounter, and within days Mr. Slager was fired and charged with murder. The City of North Charleston later reached a $6.5 million settlement with Mr. Scott’s family. |
| In his state trial, Mr. Slager testified that he had struggled with Mr. Scott and said he had feared for his life when he began shooting. | |
| Mr. Slager is among a handful of police officers to face prosecution for on-duty shootings; an even smaller number are found guilty of any crimes. | |
| He was charged less than a year after a white police officer killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo.; that officer, Darren Wilson, was not charged with a crime. | |
| Weeks after Mr. Slager was charged, a prosecutor in Baltimore brought charges against six people officers in connection with the death of a man who died in police custody. Those cases ended with no convictions. |