Former cop who killed black man faces life term
Charleston, May 3: The white former South Carolina police officer who was filmed as he shot a fleeing, unarmed black man in the back two years ago could face life in prison after pleading guilty on Tuesday to a federal civil rights violation in the fatal encounter.
Ex-North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager’s admission that he used excessive force against 50-year-old Walter Scott in April 2015 resolves a case that drew national attention amid concerns about police treatment of blacks in cities across the US.
Mr Slager fired eight shots at Scott’s back, hitting him five times, after the motorist fled a traffic stop for a broken brake light. A bystander’s cellphone video of the shooting was circulated.
Convictions of US police officers charged in on-duty fatal shootings are rare. US attorney general Jeff Sessions said the justice department would hold officers accountable for civil rights abuses.
“Such failures of duty not only harm the individual victims of these crimes; they harm our country, by eroding trust in law enforcement and undermining the good work of the vast majority of honourable and honest police officers,” Mr Sessions said.
“Today is a good day for justice,” Judy Scott, the motorist’s mother, told reporters after the hearing in Charleston.
Slager, who was dismissed from the police force, told jurors during a state trial that he felt “total fear” before shooting Scott.