A white police officer in South Carolina is charged with murder after a bystander recorded video of him shooting and killing an apparently unarmed black man in the back as he ran way from the scene of a traffic stop.
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The New York Times posted the video Tuesday. It is disturbing. (Click here or scroll down to see video.)
Officer Michael T. Slager, 33, claimed he feared for his life because the man took a stun gun during a scuffle Saturday, but the video does not confirm that.
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The video shows Slager firing eight times and shooting Walter L. Scott, 50, in the back as Scott loped away across a grassy lot.
Scott was driving a Mercedes-Benz and had been stopped by Slager for a broken tail light, according to police reports cited in the Times story.
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"At the time, Scott was wanted for arrest on a Family Court warrant, Charleston County sheriff's Maj. Eric Watson said Tuesday." (Source: The Post and Courier)
The police reports said Slager fired his Taser at Scott, and Scott turned to run away from the gun’s electrical current, which could be seen extending from his body.
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The mayor of North Charleston, S.C., announced the murder charge Tuesday evening. Federal authorities are also looking into the shooting, according to the Times.
Slager's attorney said Tuesday that the officer believes he followed proper procedure. (Source: ABCNews4.com)
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