Posted by Jack
WASHINGTON — A white police officer in North Charleston, S.C., was charged with murder on Tuesday after a video surfaced showing him shooting in the back and killing an apparently unarmed black man while the man ran away.
The officer, Michael T. Slager, 33, said he had feared for his life because the man had taken his stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop on Saturday. A video, however, shows the officer firing eight times as the man, Walter L. Scott, 50, fled. The North Charleston mayor announced the state charges at a news conference Tuesday evening.
I watched the shooting video and there is no justifiable reason for shooting this man, none! Even if he was a fleeing felon, and we don’t know that he was, you can’t shoot someone in the back like that. He must be a direct threat to the life of another or at the very least a threat to great bodily harm. I have no sympathy or patience for any officer who would something this obviously wrong! Considering all the false accusations against law enforcement for using excessive force, all the discussions about trigger happy cops, all the training to make cops aware of their duty, how this one officer could do such a thing is almost beyond belief. Very sad, very tragic…just shouldn’t have happened. This is going to hurt law enforcement across America.
Always glad when we can agree; I just wish it weren’t under such tragic circumstances.
The significance of this shooting is that it illustrates that the rule of law is followed in cases like this AND the militant agitators should go home and find something more productive to do with their time.
Tina: “The significance of this shooting is that it illustrates that the rule of law is followed in cases like this”
The only reason the rule of law is being followed in this case is because there is a video. The officer tried to cover up his crime at first. I hardly see how this is a reason to have faith in the rule of law.