White police officer Michael Slager shot and killed an unarmed Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina. In April 2015, Slager, 36, said he stopped Walter Scott for a broken brake light. At some point, Slager said that he feared for his life and shot and killed Scott. However, a cell phone video that was captured by a man in his yard revealed that Slager was not truthful about the incident. Slager has now been sentenced to serve 19 to 24 years in prison.
The cell phone video showed a brief scuffle and Walter Scott running away. Slager was never in danger, but he shot at Scott eight times. Three bullets hit him in the back, one bullet hit him once in the upper buttocks, and he was hit once in the ear, according to the coroner. Once Scott was dead, Slager tampered with evidence to make it appear as if the victim had took his taser during the dispute.
Slager’s gross abuse of the law served as another reminder of how unarmed Black man are often terrorized by police across the nation. Slager plead guilty to federal civil rights violation earlier in 2017.
His conviction is a start, but it will take a national overhaul of police departments to solve the ongoing issue of police brutality.
