SC - Walter Scott, 50, fatally shot by North Charleston PD officer, 4 April 2015 - #1

[KEVINinTO]

Dash cam video now being shown on CNN

The officer pulled over Scott and politely asks Scott for his insurance. Scott says that he doesn't have insurance as he just bought the car. The courteous officer returns to his cruiser to do further checks. At this point Scott bolts from the car and the chase is on!

 

[LietKynes]

This is interesting...

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-30...shooting-unarmed-Walter-Scott-five-times.html

Another man was in the car with Walter Scott when he was pulled over for having a broken tail light on his Mercedes, it has been revealed.

Police have not disclosed his identity and family do not know who he is, but a police report confirmed the man was detained with Scott and put in the back of a police car

I've been a law abiding person all of my life ; and have thought we need to support law enforcement .. but in this Slager incident--- methinks we have got a stinker, plain and clear.
Smh. Hope Slager enjoys his stay in prison.

Imo, with more power comes more responsibility !


( From the same link)
Then, without warning, Slager pushed in the door, he said.

'`Come outside or I'll tase you,'' he recalled the officer saying as he burst in. 'I didn't want that to happen to me, so I raised my arms over my head, and when I did, he tased me in my stomach anyway.'

He said the pain from the stun gun was so intense that he dropped to the floor and began calling for his mother, who was also in the home.
This ^^ was problematic as well. If you are complying with the officer-- there is no need to use further force. That should be easy to understand and shouldn't most police go with the simplest solution ? Why not be a bit more polite and not make things harder than need be ?

Iirc, decades back when the Rodney King incident happened, there was another man with him who complied with orders given (".. get on the ground and put your hands behind your back....." or something to that effect ); and he was uninjured and not manhandled at all.
:moo:

 

[LietKynes]

Dash cam video now being shown on CNN

The officer pulled over Scott and politely asks Scott for his insurance. Scott says that he doesn't have insurance as he just bought the car. The courteous officer returns to his cruiser to do further checks. At this point Scott bolts from the car and the chase is on!

Not trying to blame Scott, as he is deceased and cannot speak for himself, but WHY did he run ? Just because of the outstanding warrant ? That would have had nothing to do with a defective tail light.

And in the LiveLeak video link, they both appear to have been struggling over something.

Imo.

 

[sloane7777]

Well, as we all know, all a cop has to do is say he "felt threatened".

My prediction, even with the horrific video, is that he will get off. And riots in Charleston will ensue. And I will understand their anger 100%. But it won't matter because the officer claims he "felt threatened".

And with that I will excuse myself. Sorry if I made anyone angry. I, myself, am very angry.

This crap never ends.[/QUOTE

I actually believe he will be punished harshly this time , its time to set an example to the ones who do abuse power and get away with it , my question is was he really that confident ? (yes he was ) I think he really expected to be backed on this , which means the guy who filmed this was in GRAVE DANGER, I think he was really lucky he was not noticed

 

[MsFacetious]

His warrant would have come up when the officer ran his information.
Lots of people make the stupid decision to run from the cops for stupid reasons.
Generally they get chased down and tackled. It isn't a death penalty crime to run from cops.
This guy was 50 years old... was the cop not in better shape and able to chase him down?

Amazing how quick this cop went from "courteous" to murderous. :twocents:
Sounds like a hair trigger "don't you dare disobey ME" type of temper.
I have known a couple of people like that...and giving them a badge and a gun doesn't change it. :twocents:

 

[KEVINinTO]

Not trying to blame Scott, as he is deceased and cannot speak for himself, but WHY did he run ? Just because of the oustading warrant ? That would have had nothing to do with a defective tail light.

And in the LiveLeak video link, they both appear to have been struggling over something.

Imo.

In retrospect it could be that he ran because of the outstanding warrant but at the moment that he ran from the car the officer would have no way of knowing what he was dealing with. Did Scott steal the car? Did he just commit an armed robbery or worse? The officer did what every officer would do in such a situation and he chased after Scott.

 

[imma]

His warrant would have come up when the officer ran his information.
Lots of people make the stupid decision to run from the cops for stupid reasons.
Generally they get chased down and tackled.
This guy was 50 years old... was the cop not in better shape and able to chase him down?


Amazing how quick this cop went from "courteous" to murderous. :twocents:
Sounds like a hair trigger "don't you dare disobey ME" type of temper.
I have known a couple of people like that...and giving them a badge and a gun doesn't change it. :twocents:

Right. His warrant would have come up and he would have been arrested. Scott gambled, ran and sadly lost his life.

 

[sloane7777]

Not trying to blame Scott, as he is deceased and cannot speak for himself, but WHY did he run ? Just because of the oustading warrant ? That would have had nothing to do with a defective tail light.

And in the LiveLeak video link, they both appear to have been struggling over something.

Imo.

Again, as I said before, I BET he ran because Slagle said something to make him afraid , and rightly so!!! in the end he was murdered he owed back CS, I don't even think there was a warrant was there?

 

[ButForFortune]

I just saw the witness video for the first time and it just took my breath away. The absolute nonchalance of each of the officers, not even attempting to give aid to try to save this man's life. Something is seriously, seriously wrong with the shooting officer. Did he think if he shot someone in the back the autopsy wouldn't reveal that? How he ever passed the psychological exam to enter the police academy is beyond my ability to comprehend.

So much heartache all around. I feel deep sympathy for Mr. Scott's family and fiance, but also for the officer's 8 month pregnant wife. So many lives ruined by one stupid, unthinking act.

 

[Tawny]

In retrospect it could be that he ran because of the outstanding warrant but at the moment that he ran from the car the officer would have no way of knowing what he was dealing with. Did Scott steal the car? Did he just commit an armed robbery or worse? The officer did what every officer would do in such a situation and he chased after Scott.

I'm sure we would have heard that an armed robbery or car theft had just occurred prior to this incident by now. Like in the MB case, a strong arm robbery HAD occurred and MB matched the description. That info came out pretty quickly after the shooting.

 

[imma]

In retrospect it could be that he ran because of the outstanding warrant but at the moment that he ran from the car the officer would have no way of knowing what he was dealing with. Did Scott steal the car? Did he just commit an armed robbery or worse? The officer did what every officer would do in such a situation and he chased after Scott.

The car was owned by Scott although he told Slager it wasn't, he was going to purchase it. Could be he said this b/c he either didn't have his license/valid license or just made it all up b/c he didn't want Slager to run it.

 

[Tawny]

The car was owned by Scott although he told Slager it wasn't, he was going to purchase it. Could be he said this b/c he either didn't have his license/valid license or just made it all up b/c he didn't want Slager to run it.

He said that because he didn't have insurance. You can hear that on the video. (ETA: on the dash cam video, I mean. Thanks MsFacetious!)

 

[MsFacetious]

He said that because he didn't have insurance. You can hear that on the video.

On the dashcam video, just so people don't get confused.

 

[imma]

He said that because he didn't have insurance. You can hear that on the video.

Yes , thanks, but we don't know if he did or didn't have insurance. Not that it matters but just trying to piece together why he ran.

 

[shadowraiths]

Well, as we all know, all a cop has to do is say he "felt threatened".

My prediction, even with the horrific video, is that he will get off. And riots in Charleston will ensue. And I will understand their anger 100%. But it won't matter because the officer claims he "felt threatened".

And with that I will excuse myself. Sorry if I made anyone angry. I, myself, am very angry.

This crap never ends.

I tend to agree. Esp since the charge is felony murder (See South Carolina Criminal Code § 16-3-10, which requires malice aforethought). Though, I suppose they can come back with a lesser charge.

Otoh, it appears they have indicted 3 previous LEOs. link Though, indictment is only the beginning (i.e., one indicted LEO ended up in a mistrial).

Either way, we shall see. I am admittedly not holding my breath. Esp considering the Kelly Thomas (jury returned not guilty) & Eric Garner (grand jury failed to indict) cases.

 

[PrairieWind]

He said that because he didn't have insurance. You can hear that on the video. (ETA: on the dash cam video, I mean. Thanks MsFacetious!)

I think thats right. There is some discussion about the proof of insurance, then Scott says he is going to buy or something like that. Even if he didn't have insurance, which he must not have had, that is a very minor offense. Often you can get out of a fine just by providing the proof of insurance later. No reason to run. Its crazy how a very routine traffic stop quickly went soooo out of control.

 

[LietKynes]

Again, as I said before, I BET he ran because Slagle said something to make him afraid , and rightly so!!! in the end he was murdered he owed back CS, I don't even think there was a warrant was there?

RSBM

What was Slager thinking ? He could have easily just chased down and tackled Scott -- who was 50 years old (that's pretty old) and way out of shape.
The only reason for a cop to start shooting like that would be if the perp had a gun and was actively shooting AT the officer. Certainly a cop cannot shoot anyone who is already running away ; by that time the perp is no longer a threat.
:moo:

 

[KEVINinTO]

Interesting story not being reported by the MSM in the U.S. for some reason.

It turns out the second officer in the video (the first back-up officer to arrive on the scene) is being sued for allegedly stomping on the face of a suspect.

The second policeman in the video showing Walter Scott’s killing by officer Michael Slager is being sued by another black resident in South Carolina, who alleges police stomped on his face while he was handcuffed and lying on concrete.

Clarence Habersham is among five North Charleston police officers named in a federal lawsuit brought by Sheldon Williams, who claims he was left with broken bones in his face after being assaulted.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/09/second-officer-walter-scott-video-sued-stomping

So far Officer Habersham has escaped any scrutiny for his actions in the Scott case. As the first back-up officer to arrive on the scene he was obligated to perform life saving actions such as CPR. As the video shows Habersham just left Scott handcuffed and face down.

 

[lonetraveler]

This officer has been arrested and charged with murder and that is a positive thing. Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to arrive Sunday in North Charleston. I really, really hope that his visit doesn't incite the usual looting and burning. It would be a shame if people are harmed or lose their homes and businesses like those in Ferguson. Justice needs to be served in this case but as we have seen, the non-violent protests can become violent very quickly.

 

[lonetraveler]

I was under the impression that there was an open warrant for a child support issue and that was the suggested reason he may have taken off running. Of course most people would also run to get away from being tased.