A grand jury on Monday indicted a former police officer on a murder charge for the shooting death of a black man in North Charleston, South Carolina, the prosecutor overseeing the case said.
Michael Slager (33) was fired from his patrolman job after being charged with murder in the April 4th death of Walter Scott (50) who was fatally shot in the back as he ran from Mr Slager following a traffic stop.
Video of the shooting captured by a bystander on his cellphone was widely distributed and the death reignited a public outcry over police treatment of African-Americans that flared last year after killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City and elsewhere.
The video evidence alone does not guarantee a conviction, said Scarlett Wilson, solicitor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Witness testimony also will be important, she said.
“Just because you have video in this case, it doesn’t mean it’s the be-all and end-all,” she told a news conference.
No trial date set
If convicted of murder, Mr Slager would face between 30 years and life in prison without the possibility of parole. No trial date has been set, Ms Wilson said.
A lawyer for Mr Scott's family, Chris Stewart, said he expects to file a lawsuit in the next few months. He said Mr Slager should have been reprimanded for prior accusations of excessive force before the run-in with Mr Scott.
Mr Scott was driving a black Mercedes-Benz when Mr Slager pulled him over for a broken tail light. Video from the dashboard camera in Mr Slager's car recorded a respectful exchange before the officer returned to his car.
A few minutes later, after Mr Slager had told him to stay in the Mercedes, Mr Scott emerged and ran off, apparently unarmed.
The subsequent cell phone video showed the men in a brief tussle before Mr Scott ran again, Mr Slager fired his handgun eight times and Mr Scott slumped into the grass. There was a gap between the two videos.
Mr Slager has said he feared for his life when he shot Mr Scott.
The former officer's attorney, Andrew Savage III, said on Monday his team was still waiting to receive the state's investigative materials.
“Until we have an opportunity to fully evaluate the state’s case and to compare it with our own investigation we will not be commenting on any aspect of the case,” he said.
Reuters