Very few people wake up in the morning with the intention of being declared a hero. But Feidin Santana found himself thrust into this position by a simple act of recording a shooting in North Charleston, South Carolina, that has rocked the nation. Santana is the witness whose testimony may send a cop to death row or life imprisonment, in this case Michael Slager. The officer was captured on video shooting Walter Scott in the back after a traffic stop.
Santana has appeared on multiple media outlets describing how and why he decided to not only record the video, but also to give the footage to the family of Walter Scott. Santana stated that when he realized the police narrative of the shooting differed from the facts, he had to speak out. Santana is quoted as saying he “knew right away that I had something in my hands” when he witnessed Slager gunning down Scott. It was after the family held a press conference that Santana handed the footage over to the Scott family and their attorney reasoning that “I thought about his [Scott’s] position, I thought about their situation. .. If I were to have a family member who that would happen [to], I would like to know the truth.”
Santana went on to describe the family as being emotionally overcome when they saw their loved one’s death on the now infamous video. The Scott family’s lawyer, L Chris Stewart, said, “We have to really recognize the strength and fortitude and fearlessness that it took to come forward when you know you just filmed a police officer murder somebody. …That’s the kind of person that needs to be duplicated.”
When Santana was asked about his reaction to Slager’s arrest he stated, “It’s not something that anyone can feel happy about, but he made a bad decision, and in life you pay for your decisions.”
