Youtube Video: Police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina shot a fleeing unarmed black man five times in the back then handcuffed his lifeless body after he crumpled on the ground was captured on tape and it's shocking

Unbelievable! The video of this shooting is so shocking. And all this happened because of a broken tail light. Black people now game for police officers to shoot down? The moment a white police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina shot a fleeing unarmed black man five times in the back then handcuffed his lifeless body after he crumpled on the ground was captured on tape and it's shocking.

Police officer Michael Slager, 33, opened fire on father-of-4 Walter Scott, 50, on Saturday morning April 4th after stopping him over a broken tail light. The police officer was arrested yesterday April 7th after the video was seen by police. He had initially claimed he shot Scott because he feared for his life, but the video shows Scott actually fleeing from him. The officer shot 8 times, three missed Scott, a Coast Guard veteran. He has now been charged with murder. The video is quite shocking. Watch here and continue to read the story

Scott left and his killer right

Keith Summey, the mayor of North Charleston, termed the killing a 'bad decision' at a press conference announcing the charges.

"When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.'

On Monday, the police officer's lawyer issued a statement putting across Slager's version of events. He said the officer 'felt threatened and reached for his department-issued firearm and fired his weapon. "Officer Slager believes he followed all the proper procedures and policies of the North Charleston Police Department'.

But after seeing the shooting tape yesterday, the lawyer said he was no longer representing Slager

Under South Carolina law, Slager could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted of murder.

A lawyer for the family said that the footage shows Slager 'casually' taking Scott's life, and acting as if there would be no repercussions.

Attorney L. Chris Stewart said: 'This was a cop who felt like he could get away with just shooting anybody that many times in the back... He just casually shot a man that many times in the back. At the moment he turned and ran and was not a threat to anybody else that officer was completely unjustified.'

Stewart said the family would also pursue civil charges against Slager. 

Anthony, right, spoke alongside Walter's younger brother Rodney, left, at a press conference Tuesday

He also said that without the video, and the 'hero' who recorded it, there would have been no murder charges.

He told TV crews: 'What happened today doesn't happen all the time - what if there was no video?'

'What if there was no witness - or hero - to come forward?

'The initial reports stated something totally different - the officer said Mr Scott attacked him and tried to use his Taser on him. But somebody was watching.'

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

The Mercedes Scott was driving when he was stopped apparently over a burned-out tail light

Walter Scott starts to run away before he is hit in the back and killed by police officer Michael Slager. Photo / still from YouTube

Police in the US state of South Carolina have charged a police officer with murder after video showed him apparently gunning down a fleeing black man, a rare arrest in a string of shootings of unarmed black men that have raised allegations of police racism.
South Carolina state police arrested officer Michael Slager, 33, and charged him with murder on Tuesday (local time), a felony that carries a sentence of up to life in prison or the death penalty, according to official documents.
"The Defendant (Slager) did shoot the victim multiple times in the back after an altercation. All this is based upon video evidence and the investigation of the State Law Enforcement Division," reads a South Carolina court document.
A number of killings of unarmed black men by police officers in recent months have sparked protests across the United States with protesters alleging racism in the nation's police and raising accusations that officers use excessive force.

Officers have rarely been charged in the shootings, even when the incidents were recorded.
Slager's arrest comes after video surfaced of the shooting that killed 50-year-old Walter Scott on Saturday in the coastal city of North Charleston.
The video seems to show Slager in an altercation with Scott and then draw his gun and shoot seven to eight shots in Scott's back as Scott fled.
The officer approaches Scott, who is on the ground, telling him to put his hands behind his back, and Slager puts him in handcuffs, the video shows. Slager then appears to get a device that had fallen during the altercation and drop it by Scott's body.

Michael Slager takes aim before apparently shooting Walter Scott in the back. Photo / still from YouTube

The video was first released by The New York Times after being given to the newspaper by the Scott family's lawyer.
Slager was charged with murder in a South Carolina court before being booked into a nearby jail.
The incident was prompted by a traffic stop due to a broken tail light, local media said.
North Charleston mayor Keith Summey described the shooting as a "bad decision," local newspaper The Post and Courier reported.
"When you make a bad decision, don't care if you're behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision," the mayor said.
The victim's family spoke out at a news conference after the officer's arrest, saying they were grateful for the "hero" who recorded the video.
"If there wasn't a video, would we know the truth? Or would we have just gone with what was reported earlier? But we know the truth now," said Walter's brother Anthony in remarks broadcast on the MSNBC network.
South Carolina police told AFP they could not comment on the case as the investigation is ongoing.
"We are continuing to work on the investigation," said Thom Berry from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

A string of shootings

The killing of unarmed black teen Michael Brown in August was a catalyst for a recent surge in protests in the country and a renewed debate on racism. A jury chose not to indict a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer for the shooting.
Since then, other killings by police have prompted protests in the states of Wisconsin, Georgia, New York and California, among others.
An apparent retaliatory killing of two New York police officers occurred in December.
Police officers have significant legal protections in the United States and the evidence required to bring charges against them is rarely produced.
The US Justice Department has launched investigations into a number of police departments after shootings.
It unearthed damning evidence of racism by some in the Ferguson police department and evidence that officers targeted black residents.
US President Barack Obama has spoken out about problems with policing in parts of the country and he created a task force to try to address the problem following public outcry.
The director of the FBI acknowledged in February that racial bias is a serious problem in US policing.

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