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[h=4]Scott buried in S.C. amid calls for 'justice'[/h]The body of Walter Scott, the unarmed black man who was fatally shot in the back by a white police officer in North Charleston, S.C., was being to his funeral Saturday in a procession with a police escort.
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Hundreds of people came to pay their respects to Walter Scott, an African American man shot and killed by a North Charleston police officer. VPC
Mourners arrive at W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center in Summerville, S.C., on April 11. Dozens of mourners gathered Saturday for the funeral of Walter Scott, an unarmed black suspect who was shot dead by a white officer in South Carolina as he fled following a traffic stop.(Photo: Jim Watson, AFP/Getty Images)
Walter Scott, the 50-year-old black man who was fatally shot in the back by a white police officer, was buried Saturday by family and friends who called for broad changes in how police deal with powerless people of all backgrounds.
Pastor George Hamilton told the congregation that Scott died "as a result of overt racism ... hatred in that officer's heart."
"This particular officer was a disgrace, but we will not indict the department for the act of one racist," he said.
"We can't bring Walter back, but we certainly want justice to be done," he said.
In brief remarks to reporters after the service, three attorneys for the family said the Scotts hoped to use the tragedy to make substantive changes in how the police and people of all backgrounds interact.
"We are not going to let this boil down to a racial issue, it is bigger than that -- it is a human issue," said attorney Chris Stewart.
"The bigger picture is the recognition that this epidemic must stop, powerless people being taken advantage of must stop," he said.
Describing the Scott family as "god-centered," he said they do not support any violent protests but wanted to use the tragic incident to "change the way we look at each other."
"If that is what Walter Scott died to prove, then the family is just fine with that because his legacy will live on through this family," Stewart said.
He said the family was supportive of all groups pressing for change, but was adamantly opposed to violent protests or confrontation to press their issues.
"Stewart said that violence "makes office evenmore guaded and agitated — we have tried that route, that doesn't do anything."
In a highly public gesture by North Charleston city officials, the hearse carrying Scott's body was accompanied by a police escort of two officers on motorcycles.
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A crowd gathered at W.O.R.D. Ministries in Summerville, S.C. for Walter Scott's funeral Saturday morning. A week ago, Scott was fatally shot by a police officer after fleeing a traffic stop, and the officer has been charged with murder. (April 11) AP
The family kept the services low-key, deliberately holding it in a small church and barring media cameras and deliberately hoDespite the intense national media attention on the case, the Scott family barred cameras from the 90-minute service, which was delayed because of the crowd pressing to get in. At least 200 people were not able to get into the church, which can accommodate only about 400 people.
Among those attending were U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn, a Democrat, and Mark Sanford, a Republican.
At one point, referring to the bystander who videotaped the shooting of Scott, Hamilton told the mourners, "Keep your phone handy, keep your charge up. You never know when you need to be around (to film)."
A program handed out for the funeral service contained a tribute from Scott's parents.
"No words we write could ever say how sad and empty we feel today," it said. "The angels came for you much sooner than we planned, we'll brave the bitter grief that comes and we'll try to understand."
Scott, a 50-year-old forklift operator, was killed last Saturday after running from his car following a traffic stop by police officer Michael Slager, 33. Slager was fired and is jailed on murder charges.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said he and North Charleston police Chief Eddie Driggers decided not to attend Saturday's funeral, which was open to the public, to avoid creating a distraction for the family in their time of grief. Both, however, planned to attend a memorial church service Sunday in North Charleston where civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to speak.
Civil rights activists, who have mounted marches and protests to try to pressure the police department into more accountability, agreed to suspend their activities during the funeral at W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center. A prayer vigil was planned later Saturday at the site of the shooting.
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Newly released raw dashcam video reveals some of the conversation that took place in the moments following the fatal shooting of a South Carolina man by an officer. VPC
A steady stream of mourners attended a wake Friday for Scott, whose open casket was adorned by a Dallas Cowboys sign and draped in an American flag.
The incident, in which Slager fired eight shots at Scott, hitting him five times as he ran off, was captured on video by a bystander, sparking a nationwide outcry about charges of excessive use of force by police.
South Carolina authorities subsequently released patrol car dash-camera video of the moments leading up to the shooting. It shows Scott getting out of his car, which had been stopped for a busted tail light, and running away as Slager was checking his driver's license.
Scott, a father of four, likely ran because he feared he would be jailed again for owing nearly $18,104 in back child support, his brother, Rodney Scott, told MSNBC.
"He said that's what he would do, he would run, because he's not going to jail for child support," Rodney Scott said. A warrant for Walter Scott's arrest was pending at the time he was stopped.
Andrew Gordon, left, Mr.Turner and Swerve wear shirts reading, "Don't Shoot Me" on the front and, "While My Back Is Turned" on the back, during a vigil in front of the North Charleston City Hall on April 10, 2015, for Walter Scott, who was shot and killed by a white police officer.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images)
Dash-cam video also reveals some of the conversation that took place in the moments after the fatal shooting, WLTX reported. It was released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division late Friday afternoon. The recording was made by the camera inside Slager's patrol car.
The people in this video, apparently police officers, are all speaking off-camera, and no one is addressed by name. An officer can be heard taking a phone call and reassuring the person on the other end of the phone, saying, "everything's OK." The person then explains, "I just shot somebody."
At times the audio is unintelligible, but it appears the person also says "he grabbed my Taser," and then "running from me."
The phone call ends a short time later. Someone at the scene asks him if he's good, and he says, "I'm good."
The person on the video can then be heard asking another man, "So what happens next?"
That person responds, "Well, we'll get your gear, I'm sure (the State Law Enforcement Division) will be on the way. We'll get you up to headquarters. As soon as we get you there, we'll let you take your crap off, take your vest off. They're going to want to interview you, it'll be real quick once they get here. They're going to tell you that you'll be off for a couple of days, and then we'll come back and interview you then. They're not going to ask you any questions right now."
That person then advises the other officer that when he goes home he should write out his account of the incident and should expect to be interviewed in the coming days.
After Scott's funeral, a coalition of concerned citizens called Black Lives Matter planned to resume their protests demanding that Summey, the mayor, hold an emergency meeting to discuss the creation of a Citizens Advisory Committee with subpoena powers to review police actions, the Post and Courier reported.
"We made a humble request," Muhiyidin D'Baha, a spokesman for the group, said during a rally and candlelight vigil minutes before their initial Friday night deadline. "If this is not an emergency, I don't know what an emergency is."
Summey has responded that he does not have the authority to grant subpoena powers, but agreed to meet next week with D'Baha, two members of Black Lives Matters and two city representatives. He said he felt that would be more productive than an emergency council meeting.
In another development, the National Bar Association, which describes itself as the nation's oldest and largest national association of predominantly African-American lawyers, judges, educators and law students, released a statement Friday accusing Clarence Habersham, a black police officer who arrived on the scene shortly after the shooting, of filing a false report of the incident. The group said he should be fired and indicted, WCIV-TV reported.
The group says the video shows Habersham allegedly tampering with evidence and also does not back up his claim that he and Slager administered CPR to Scott.
Contributing: Associated Press
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