South Carolina Cop charged with murder

[Gina]

So I'll go ahead and bring this over http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3029597/Cop-charged-black-man-s-murder-opening-fire-eight-times-shooting-ran-away-saying-did-felt-threatened.html

This is the moment a white police officer shot a fleeing, unarmed black man five times in the back then handcuffed his lifeless body after he crumpled on the ground.

Patrolman Michael Slager, 33, opened fire on father-of-four Walter Scott, 50, in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday morning after reportedly stopping him over a broken tail light.

Slager was charged with murder on Tuesday after the incendiary footage emerged.

The officer had previously defended his actions, saying he feared for his life after Scott wrestled his Taser from him during a scuffle.

However, the footage shows Scott getting around 15 to 20 feet away before Slager opens fire with seven shots in quick succession followed by an eighth. Three of them missed.

Slager then handcuffed Scott's lifeless body and moved an object - possibly the Taser - from where it fell to the ground some 30ft away and placed it next to the victim.

The footage contradicted police claims that officers performed CPR on the suspect.

Within hours of the footage, acquired by the Charleston Post and Courier, emerging authorities filed the murder charges and arrested Slager. 

Scott's brother, Anthony, spoke after his brother's death. He said Walter had a fiancée, two siblings and four children. 

He told WCIV: 'My brother is a kind and sweet person. He talked to everybody, knew all our family members by name, anybody that came in touch with Walter loved him.'

'He loved the [Dallas] Cowboys. That's his first mistake  We had planned to go to go see them play but I guess that won't happen now.'

Slager, also formerly a member of the Coast Guard, that's his 2nd mistake  had not previously been disciplined by the department, the Post and Courier said.

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Well.....I'm one for cameras anyway so that everything is shown.  This cop has hurt every cop by murdering this guy. The police department did the right thing and very fast which I'm glad.

So it seems pretty open and shut that this cop murdered this suspect.  Thoughts?

[Big Dog]

Agreed, Gina.

[Eupher]

My thought is, let the justice system do what it's supposed to do. It appears there was a video which was reviewed by the cops, they seemed convinced that the cop acted aggressively, took prompt action to arrest the cop, and will probably investigate and turn over their results to the DA with the expectation that charges will be filed.

Nobody I know of suggests or insists that there aren't overly aggressive cops on the beat. The problem I have with the Owies and the liberals and the race-baiters is that they insist that every cop walking a beat is just looking for a fight and a black man to shoot. The cops that are bad eggs are few and far between.

[Gina]

Ok, why are the demonstrating in Charleston?  No one is saying this cop is innocent?  they are thinking about death penalty for him. 

[DumbAss Tanker]

I'm no knee-jerk cop defender.  The same laws applies to everyone. 

[Bad Dog]

Ok, why are the demonstrating in Charleston?  No one is saying this cop is innocent?  they are thinking about death penalty for him. 

Don't want to pass up a chance for looting.

[JohnnyReb]

I would like to know why the guy decided to run?

[docstew]

The autopsy will be interesting to say the least. It'll show NO CPR being done (when properly done, CPR WILL break ribs), which means the cop is screwed completely. Lie one time on an official form and you'll NEVER be trusted again. He could be completely honest about everything else (doubtful, since it looks like he planted a weapon on the video), and that right there will cause his entire statement to be crap.

[Eupher]

I would like to know why the guy decided to run?

The story apparently started at the point where the cop pulled over the perp for a broken taillight. Quoted from the link (and all this could be bullshit, AFAIK):

Slager [the cop] initially pulled Scott [the perp] over for a broken taillight, but the incident escalated when Slager tried to take Scott into custody on an outstanding arrest warrant for non-payment of child support.  Scott had some additional prior violent criminal history.

Without any analysis, it seems like a very damning video.   In addition to the shooting itself, some accuse Slager of lying about the incident, and the video itself shows Slager appearing to move the taser, after the shooting.

I predict that Officer Slager is going down, but not for murder.  He is being charged with murder(presumably second-degree), but he’ll be convicted of voluntary manslaughter instead.  Why?  Mitigating factors, as follows.

It will be pointed out to the jury that at the very beginning of the video, you can actually hear the taser being deployed; that ratchety clicking sound, off-camera and before anything really comes into focus.  That means the taser was activated prior to the video frame at :17, where you suddenly can see Scott and Slager in close confrontation for a split-second, fighting over the taser.

In the next second, Scott turns and flees as you see the taser fall to the ground and Slager reach for his gun.  Slager opens fire with eight shots as Scott runs away, then falls.

It will be explained that after Scott’s first attempt to flee, from the gas station where he’d been pulled over, he then physically resisted arrest, and that Slager was unable to subdue Scott to get him into custody.  Due to the taser failing to stop Scott as he resisted, with Scott trying to wrest the taser away from Slager, assault on a police officer will be argued — therefore, Scott at this point is legitimately deemed by Slager to be violent felon.

The video supports this argument, and the defense will almost certainly argue it.  Slager, now, has a somewhat legitimate argument that his own life is in jeopardy if Scott is able to get the taser away from him, possibly turning it on him, incapacitating him, and then accessing his pistol to use against him.  So, Slager abandons the taser (it falls to the ground) and reaches for his pistol as a last resort. This immediately causes Scott to flee.

That’s the point at which a reasonable person would expect Slager to desist from using deadly force.  However, some will try to argue that Slager had a duty to use any means up to and including deadly force to stop the escape of a violent felon who had just assaulted a police officer and tried to get a weapon (the taser) from the officer as being an imminent threat to others.  I’m not saying the defense will necessarily try that shaky angle (Tennessee v. Garner), although they may plant suggestive seeds to that effect.

Slager’s defense team will emphasize the totality of the circumstances, exploit the mitigating factors, and rest in the reasonable doubt as to Slager’s culpability for the murder charge.  Murder requires certain key elements (i.e., depraved mind, malice aforethought) which I do not believe can be proven here.

The jury will not fully accept all implications of the defense, yet because of reasonable doubt as to murder they will nonetheless not be able to agree to convict Slager on that charge.  Slager’s action in the immediate aftermath (moving the taser, which can be seen as somewhat suspicious unless one deems it mere negligent handling of the scene/evidence) will help the jury rationalize convicting him of voluntary manslaughter, which can carry a prison term up to and equal to murder.

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[thundley4]

The police chief is holding a press conference and there are morons interrupting him with chants of: "No justice, no peace".

****ing idiot race baiters.

[Gina]

The autopsy will be interesting to say the least. It'll show NO CPR being done (when properly done, CPR WILL break ribs), which means the cop is screwed completely. Lie one time on an official form and you'll NEVER be trusted again. He could be completely honest about everything else (doubtful, since it looks like he planted a weapon on the video), and that right there will cause his entire statement to be crap.

did the other cops say they performed cpr too? (I thought I read that).  If so, they are screwed too

[Gina]

Just heard that the cops wife is pregnant and the police chief said it's the humane thing to do to continue her on insurance until the baby is born.

Oh Lawd.  That's gonna start 

[dixierose]

The police chief is holding a press conference and there are morons interrupting him with chants of: "No justice, no peace".

****ing idiot race baiters.

They are only hurting themselves. The protests are stupid, unnecessary, and only makes a bad situation worse. I could see the protests if the officer had not been brought up on charges. WTH do they have to protest in this case?

[dixierose]

Just heard that the cops wife is pregnant and the police chief said it's the humane thing to do to continue her on insurance until the baby is born.

Oh Lawd.  That's gonna start 

I understand why they would do that...she didn't have anything to do with the shooting. Why make her suffer?

But can they "legally" do that?

[Big Dog]

I understand why they would do that...she didn't have anything to do with the shooting. Why make her suffer?

But can they "legally" do that?

He's still employed, so he still has health insurance.

[Gina]

He's still employed, so he still has health insurance.

He was fired right after the tape came out

[Chris_]

I saw an article quoting the mayor who said there was more video than what is being shown.  I'm trying to find it, but I'm not having much luck.

[Big Dog]

He was fired right after the tape came out

Thanks for the correction.

[obumazombie]

If the perp resisted the taser, and escaped it, that didn't leave the officer with many more options.

[thundley4]

If the perp resisted the taser, and escaped it, that didn't leave the officer with many more options.

He was running away and his back was to the cop. He wasn't a threat to the cop.

[obumazombie]

He was running away and his back was to the cop. He wasn't a threat to the cop.

I don't know if that's the standard, not being a threat to the cop.
If the cop concluded the perp was a threat to society, he couldn't very well let him run loose.
I don't think, from what I see that it is a cut and dry, open and shut case.

[thundley4]

I don't know if that's the standard, not being a threat to the cop.
If the cop concluded the perp was a threat to society, he couldn't very well let him run loose.
I don't think, from what I see that it is a cut and dry, open and shut case.

It was a traffic stop, and the guy had a couple of warrants for failing to pay child support.  That is the most the cop would have known at the time.

Was the cop afraid he might make more babies and not support them? 

[obumazombie]

It was a traffic stop, and the guy had a couple of warrants for failing to pay child support.  That is the most the cop would have known at the time.

Was the cop afraid he might make more babies and not support them?

Put me in the not open and shut case category.

When first we heard of officer Wilson, it was alleged he knew nothing about the strong arm robbery Brown committed.

I think there's more to the story.

If everything turns out as the open and shut people say, I will be happy to admit my instincts were wrong.

[dixierose]

Don't forget the cop also planted the taser by the body after he handcuffed the dying suspect.

**Edited to correct spelling

[thundley4]

Put me in the not open and shut case category.

When first we heard of officer Wilson, it was alleged he knew nothing about the strong arm robbery Brown committed.

I think there's more to the story.

If everything turns out as the open and shut people say, I will be happy to admit my instincts were wrong.

Don't forget the cop also planted the taser by the body after he handcuffed the dying suspect.

**Edited to correct spelling

That's called something like "consciousness of guilt", I believe.