BACK OFF, AL!
S.C. cop-shoot family to Rev.: Stay away
STAY AWAY, Rev. Al.
That was the message from the family of South Carolina police shooting victim Walter Scott to the civil rights activist Thursday — two days before the funeral for the slain father of four.
“We don’t want another Ferguson type of circus here,” a source close to the Scott family told the Daily News.
That was a reference to the Missouri town that was rocked by violent demonstrations in 2014 after black teen Michael Brown was killed by a white cop.
Sharpton (inset) gave a rousing speech at the 18-year-old’s funeral, which was attended by thousands.
Scott family attorney Chris Stewart said he appreciates Sharpton’s support but “the funeral is only going to be close family members.”
“The Rev. Al has called and expressed his support and condolences,” Stewart said. “The family is very appreciative.”
Sharpton said he has been in touch with the Scott family and their lawyers but insisted he “had no plans to go down.”
“They are in mourning and we would never come unless they asked,” he told The News. “We’re willing to be helpful to the family but only when needed.”
In recent days, Sharpton has slammed Scott’s fatal shooting by North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager as “senseless” and proposed nationalizing the country’s police forces as a way to curb brutality against African-Americans.
The apparent snub of Sharpton came as police released the dashcam video from Slager’s cruiser, which showed Scott suddenly bolting from a car after the officer pulled him over for a broken tail light before the shooting on Saturday.
Scott is at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz and there is a passenger in the front seat as Slager walks up and asks for his license and registration. The doomed man is heard telling the officer he has neither and that he is in the process of buying the car.
Slager heads back to his car, where the Everlast song “What It’s Like” is playing on his radio.
When Scott opens his door and stands, the officer tells him to get back in the vehicle. Then Scott opens his door again and takes off running.
Slager can then be heard yelling what sounds like, “Danger! Danger! Danger!”
A short time later, Slager was captured on cell phone video shooting a fleeing Scott in the back. The officer has been charged with murder and fired by his department.
Scott’s parents, Judy and Walter Sr., got their first chance Thursday to thank Feiden Santana, 23, the North Charleston barber who recorded the fate-
ful video of the shooting on Saturday that led to Slager’s arrest.
“Thank God for you. Thank God for you,” the father said, hugging Santana in the meeting videotaped by NBC News. A tearful Judy Scott also embraced Santana, saying, “Oh, thank you God!”
Another relative told Santana, “I don’t know how this would have turned out without the video.
“I’m so glad that you had enough courage to turn the video in,” the relative said.
The Scott family said Thursday it was preparing to hit Slager and his department with a civil lawsuit.
“We will seek every penny of compensation that the family deserves,” state Rep. Justin Bamberg, who is representing the family as a lawyer, told The News.
“People in society are fed up with people getting away with things like this, fed up with law enforcement abusing the power that they have.”
Bamberg also said the video clearly shows Slager trying to cover up the crime by dropping an object beside Scott’s dead body.
“It is our firm belief that the officer planted that Taser beside him,” he said.
Slager, 33, a six-year veteran of the North Charleston police, is in jail and being investigated by the FBI, the Department of Justice and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Scott, who served in the Coast Guard, had no history of violent crimes, although he had been jailed three times — most recently in 2012 — for failing to pay child support.
Bamberg’s announcement came as another black man named Mario Givens came forward with claims he was attacked and arrested by Slager for no reason in 2013.
Slager’s fatal encounter with Scott began at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. He told his superiors he opened fire after struggling with Scott — and after the victim ran off with his Taser. But the video showed Scott running away and at least 15 feet from Slager when the officer fired the first of eight shots — four of which struck him in the back and one of which hit him in the ear.