From [HERE] and [HERE] The execution of Walter Scott by South Carolina police officer Michael Slager was an unambiguous example of racist police abuse. Cell phone footage clearly shows Slager, who is white, pumping eight bullets into the retreating figure of Scott, who was black, as he fled from the officer. The distance between the two at the moment Slager began firing on the unarmed Scott appears to be anywhere from 18 to 20 feet, much too far for Scott to have been any kind of credible danger to the officer. Yet Slager falsely reported that Scott ran at him and attempted to wrestle away his Taser, causing the officer to feel "threatened" and necessitating use of lethal force.
The shooting of Scott occurred following a daytime traffic stop for a non-functioning brake light.
Immediately following the shooting, Slager radioed a dispatcher, stating, "Shots fired and the subject is down. He grabbed my Taser." In the report of the shooting filed before the video surfaced, Slager said he had feared for his life because Scott had taken his Taser, and that he shot Scott because he "felt threatened".
Bystander video proved all of this to be false. After video surfaced contradicting his police report and showing that he planted a gun by Scott's dead body, Slager was charged with murder
Despite an abundance of evidence, a state judge had declared a mistrial on December 5 after jurors failed to reach a verdict following 22 hours of deliberation. The jury was made up of 11 white jurors and one black juror. [MORE]
In May 2016, Slager was indicted on federal charges including violation of Scott's civil rights and obstruction of justice.
In a May 2017 plea agreement, Slager pled guilty to federal charges of civil rights violations. In return for his guilty plea, murder charges from the state were dropped. The guilty plea carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. His sentencing hearing begins today.
A report prepared by a probation officer recommended to U.S. District Judge David Norton, who is also white [photo below], a prison term of between 10 and nearly 13 years. Prosecutors disagreed, pegging the suggested term at life, though numerous factors make that penalty unlikely.
Scott's older brother, Anthony, hopes to see Slager spend at least two decades in prison.
"This judge has an opportunity to set a precedent," Anthony Scott said, "to tell police officers that they aren't going to get away with murder." Yes, in a civilized, better society. But in the system of racism/white supremacy white cops have the right to legally execute Black peeople anytime and anyplace. In their relations with Blacks most whites function as psychopaths but in their relations with one another, by and large, white folks treat each other humanely. Despite the fact that Slager was already hooked up first by a white jury [state case] and now by avoiding a murder conviction, expect a lenient sentence from the white judge.
Prosecutors say it’s murder. “The defendant’s conduct after the shooting demonstrates that he was not acting in fear or rage,” they said in a filing. “The defendant maintained his composure. ... He was not confused, disoriented or enraged.”
Slager picked up the Taser and dropped it near Scott’s lifeless body, only to return it to his belt moments later. This attempt to fit the evidence to his self-defense story, the prosecutors contended, deserves a heightened sentence.
Slager, they added, has continued in court testimony to lie and has “conveniently” failed to remember crucial moments that would harm his defense.
“But for the existence of bystander cellphone video,” the prosecutors said, “it is likely that the defendant would have succeeded in covering up his criminal conduct." [MORE]