Protests mark latest officer shooting caught on video

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[h=4]Protests mark latest officer shooting caught on video[/h]NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The family of a black, apparently unarmed man shot and killed by a white police officer said they intend to file a civil lawsuit against the officer who was charged Tuesday with murder.

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Protesters rally outside City Hall in North Charleston, S.C.(Photo: Stephen B. Morton, EPA)

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The disturbing video of a South Carolina police officer gunning down an unarmed black man is what led to the murder charge against him, according to North Charleston's mayor. The video shows the officer shoot Walter Scott eight times in the back. VPC


NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Scores of angry protesters chanted "Black lives matter" and "All lives matter" in front of City Hall Wednesday, one day after a white police officer was charged with shooting and killing an apparently unarmed black man in a confrontation caught on video.
North Charleston Officer Michael Slager, 33, was charged with the murder of Walter Scott, 50, after a passerby sent a cellphone video of Saturday's shooting to authorities and Scott's family.
The emergence of the dramatic video shocked this city of 100,000 with a population split almost evenly between blacks and whites, with a small number of other minorities. The tragedy follows months of national discourse about race and policing after law enforcement confrontations with unarmed, black citizens in Ferguson, Mo., New York City and elsewhere.
The video shows Slager dropping what appears to be a stun gun, drawing his gun and shooting at Scott's back at least eight times as he ran away. Scott falls face-down to the ground. Slager walks up and puts handcuffs on Scott. More than two minutes after the shooting, Slager appears to reach down and check Scott for a pulse.
Slager told investigators that Scott had struggled for his police-issued stun gun, and that he fired at Scott in fear of his life, authorities said. South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division agents, after viewing the recording and examining other evidence, filed the charges against the officer.
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"This is a time for us to come together," one protester told the crowd in front of City Hall on Wednesday. "This is not just about black lives. This is about all lives... And it's a bigger issue than just police."
Police Chief Eddie Driggers expressed disbelief that one of his officers would react the way Slager reacted in the video. "All the officers on this force, the men and women, are like my children," an emotional Driggers said at a news conference Tuesday. "So you tell me how a father would react seeing his child do something?"
Mayor Keith Summey calling the incident a "bad decision," adding that "if you make a bad decision, I don't care if you're behind the shield or just a citizen on the street, you have to live by that decision."
Scott's family said they intend to file a civil lawsuit against Slager, a five-year veteran of the force. His father told NBC's Today show on Wednesday that his father may have run because he owed child support and feared he would be jailed.
"I ask that everyone continue to pray for my family," said Anthony Scott, Walter Scott's brother, just hours after Slager was booked at the Charleston County Detention Center. "We can't get my brother back and my family is in deep mourning for that, but through the process justice has been served."
Walter Scott spent two years in the Coast Guard, had four children and was outgoing and loving, Anthony Scott said. "He was the most outgoing out of all of us," the brother said. "He was well known in the community."
"We've all seen the video," Anthony Scott said. "If there hadn't been a video, would we know the truth, or would we have just gone with what was reported earlier? But we do know the truth now."

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Raw video is released of a North Charleston police officer shooting and killing an unarmed man. This video contains graphic images.

Chris Stewart, an attorney for Walter Scott's family, told USA TODAY the video depicting Scott's death should be a "turning pointing" for the nation and illustrates yet another example of an unarmed black man being unjustly killed by a police officer.
Yet Stewart stressed that Scott's death goes far beyond racial issues and really shows that some lives -- black, white or Hispanic -- are not valued by some officers. He said Scott's death and others are really about who holds the power during confrontations with police.
"I won't let this just be about his race," Stewart said. "This is about a human being being killed...It's more about the power and value that the officer deems you have...This is an example of another African American being abused by the justice system so to speak or police authorities. But that mindset stems from 'I think you're powerless.'"

Michael Thomas Slager, downloaded from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office inmate search.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Charleston County Sheriff's Office)

Meanwhile, Stewart says the video doesn't guarantee justice will be served because the process is still playing out. But, he said the video will have an impact as departments consider getting body cameras and as people around the country think about police misconduct.
"This can be the seminal example of what a body camera will show truly happening," he said. "No matter what the budget is, or what it costs, this is the example of how families can get justice and can support any politician who is wanting body cameras."
The video will also likely change the minds of people who are skeptical of claims that the police are mistreating communities because Scott's shooting is one of the most clear cut cases of an unjust police shooting in history , the attorney said.
Contributing: Yamiche Alcindor, William M. Welch, USA TODAY
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