It was during that scuffle that the officer fired his service weapon, fatally wounding Scott. “I believe once the community hears all the facts of this shooting, they’ll have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding this investigation.”. Meet the Press looks at how the media would have covered the Walter Scott shooting without the cell phone video. All rights reserved. “No matter what sentence I give, neither the Scott family nor the Slager family is going to think that it’s right,” the judge said. The North Charleston mayor announced the state charges at a news conference Tuesday evening. I forgive you,” Scott’s mother, Judy, said as she turned toward her son’s killer. We are confident that SLED will conduct a complete and thorough investigation into the incident and provide their findings to all concerned.”. Sign up below to get my newsletter in your inbox. File/Staff . A bystander recorded the shooting on a cellphone, and it was shared around the world, setting off protests across the U.S. as demonstrators said it was another egregious example of police officers mistreating African-Americans. In 1991, he was convicted of possession of a bludgeon. And I'm too dang lazy and apathetic to start it myself, perhaps someone else would care to. The settlement gives annuities totaling $1 million to three of Walter Scott's four children, according to court papers obtained by The Post and Courier of Charleston. Here’s how. Part of HuffPost Politics. Before Slager’s sentence was handed down, the judge had to decide whether the shooting amounted to second-degree murder or manslaughter. When Slager caught up with him a short distance from the street, Scott reportedly attempted to overpower Slager. Whenever possible, this article pulls verbatim from local news reports. Police say that during the struggle, the man gained control of the Taser and attempted to use it against the officer. CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — One by one, relatives of the late Walter Scott urged a judge to mete out a significant punishment for Michael Slager, the white former police officer who fatally shot Scott, an unarmed black man, in the back after a 2015 traffic stop. The incident occurred behind a pawn shop on Craig Street and Remount Road. Through tears, Scott’s family told Slager they felt sorrow for him and the loss his young children would feel in his absence. Take a frame by frame look at the video showing the death of Walter Scott at the hands of South Carolina Police Officer Michael Slager. Many of those claims turned out to be lies. “This is part of the job that no one likes and wishes would never happen,” Police Chief Eddie Driggers said, according to a release. The State Law Enforcement Division has begun an investigation into the incident. As part of a plea agreement reached in May, prosecutors dropped state murder charges. A pre-sentencing report for Slager found that he committed manslaughter and recommended 10 to nearly 13 years in prison. Authorities there ultimately determined that Brown had attempted to overpower Officer Darren Wilson and run before turning back and charging the officer, who was forced to deploy his service weapon in the encounter. But only Slager and former state trooper Sean Groubert, who shot a man as he tried to get his wallet during a seat belt violation check, will have been sent to prison. He has several weeks to appeal his sentence and will be housed at the Charleston County jail until he’s assigned to a federal prison. Prosecutors think he put it there to bolster his self-defense story. A previous accusation that Slager assaulted a burglary victim was found to be without merit. The shooting was the 11th this year by a South Carolina police officer. “I pray for you, that you would repent and let Jesus come in your life.”, Sitting just a few feet away, Slager wiped tears from his eyes and mouthed: “I’m sorry.”. Scott had a lengthy rap sheet extending back to at least 1987, when he was arrested on a charge of assault and battery. They said race didn’t play a role in the shooting and Slager never had any “racial animus” toward minorities. During the stop, police and witnesses say Scott fled the vehicle on foot. He has never been disciplined during his time on the force, his attorney said. The punishment wrapped up a case that became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. Slager fired eight shots, five of which struck Scott. (Photo by Leroy Burnell - Pool/Getty Images) “Who are we not to forgive?” Rodney Scott said. 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