Tag Archives: officer charged

Breaking: South Carolina Officer Charged With Murder, Shoots Suspect in Back 8 Times

A South Carolina police officer has been charged with murder after he shot a suspect 8 times following a traffic stop… and the shooting death of that man was caught on video.

Warning: The images we are about to show you are graphic.

In the video, which was recorded Saturday, April 4, 2015, City Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager has already shot Walter Lamer Scott with a Taser but Scott continues to run away. A video of the shooting released to news media outlets shows the officer firing several times at the man’s back while he’s running away. Scott had a warrant out for his arrest because he owed child support payments.

Charleston Mayor Keith Summey spoke at a news conference condemning the officer’s actions, saying, “When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” “When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”

Monday, the officer’s attorney said that the officer felt threatened and that the motorist was trying to grab the officer’s stun gun. Tuesday morning, that attorney said he no longer represents officer Slager.