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| Former police officer who shot Walter Scott indicted for murder | Former police officer who shot Walter Scott indicted for murder |
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| The South Carolina police officer who was filmed shooting a man in the back as he ran away earlier this year, prompting renewed outcry over the use of lethal force by law enforcement, was formally charged with murder on Monday. | The South Carolina police officer who was filmed shooting a man in the back as he ran away earlier this year, prompting renewed outcry over the use of lethal force by law enforcement, was formally charged with murder on Monday. |
| Related: White outrage over Walter Scott doesn't fix black fear of living in racist America | Steven W Thrasher | Related: White outrage over Walter Scott doesn't fix black fear of living in racist America | Steven W Thrasher |
| Michael Slager was indicted by a grand jury in Charleston County for the murder of Walter Scott on 4 April, Scarlett Wilson, the solicitor for the ninth judicial circuit, announced at a press conference. | Michael Slager was indicted by a grand jury in Charleston County for the murder of Walter Scott on 4 April, Scarlett Wilson, the solicitor for the ninth judicial circuit, announced at a press conference. |
| “We will move forward now in preparing our case,” said Wilson. “Really the prosecution work has just begun.” | |
| The brief indictment alleged that Slager killed Scott “with malice aforethought”. | |
| If convicted, Slager could face a sentence of between 30 years and life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Wilson. | If convicted, Slager could face a sentence of between 30 years and life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Wilson. |
| Slager, 33, was a patrolman first class for the North Charleston police department when he fatally shot Scott, 50, following a struggle that led from a traffic stop when the officer noticed that one of Scott’s car tail lights was broken. | Slager, 33, was a patrolman first class for the North Charleston police department when he fatally shot Scott, 50, following a struggle that led from a traffic stop when the officer noticed that one of Scott’s car tail lights was broken. |
| Related: Who is Michael Slager, the officer who shot Walter Scott? | Related: Who is Michael Slager, the officer who shot Walter Scott? |
| Police initially suggested that Scott had taken Slager’s Taser and posed a threat. However, video footage filmed on the cellphone of a passerby showed Scott being shot eight times from behind as he ran away empty-handed after a physical altercation with the officer. | |
| Slager was fired from his job by city authorities after the footage came to light. He is being held at a county jail under protection. | |
| Andrew Savage, Slager’s attorney, said in an emailed statement that the grand jury’s decision was “a formal step, but just another step in the criminal process”. | |
| Savage complained that Slager’s legal team had not been shown details of the state’s case against the former officer. | |
| “Until we have an opportunity to fully evaluate the state’s case and to compare it with our own investigation we will not be commenting on any aspect of the case,” he said. | |
| Several other officers who arrived at the scene of Scott’s shooting are likely to face questioning over whether they knew about discrepancies in the official version of events released before the emergence of video footage. | |
| Wilson said at her press conference she had seen no probable cause to charge any of Slager’s colleagues with criminal acts. |