*WALTER SCOTT – Shot and killed on April 4, 2015 in North Charleston, South Carolina by Officer Michael Slater following a foot pursuit. Slater had observed Scott, 50, in a vehicle with a faulty third brake light in the parking lot of an auto parts store. Slater approached the vehicle, spoke to Scott and then returned to his patrol car. At that time, Scott exited his vehicle and fled on foot, apparently due to the fact that there was a warrant out for his arrest since 2013 and he also had cocaine and alcohol in his system.
Slater pursued Scott on foot and eventually caught up to him. The two struggled and Slater was able to unholster his taser and fire it at Scott. This non-lethal device did not bring Scott down and he continued to run away from the officer, who then drew his service weapon and fired a number of shots at Scott.
A bystander video caught the incident and a mere three days later, Slater was arrested and charged with murder. He ended up taking a plea agreement and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
POLICE POINT OF VIEW
Plain and simple, Slater fucked up. Anyone viewing the video tape – police or civilian – can see that Scott was clearly not a threat to the officer at the time he fired. Sometimes the bad guy gets away and you have to accept it.
This is a clear cut case of a white cop shooting an unarmed black man and not getting away with it. The facts proved that the cop was wrong and he is paying dearly for that. But Scott was not totally innocent, either, and could have stayed in his vehicle and took his medicine with a lawful arrest for not only the warrant, but also driving under the influence. Still no excuse for Slater’s actions, mind you.
Scott – black, Slater – white
@RQuinn94 I would love the opportunity to discuss the #NFLProtest issue with you, more specifically a case-by-case basis between the police & public: https://t.co/6SrWzUZ6yS
— Joe Pietaro (@MuscleSportMag) August 13, 2018
