South Carolina police officer Michael Slager indicted for murder of Walter Scott

A widely-circulated video showed Slager shooting Scott in the back

Published June 8, 2015 5:00PM (EDT)

Michael Slager         (AP/Charleston County Sheriff's Office)
Michael Slager (AP/Charleston County Sheriff's Office)

South Carolina police officer Michael Thomas Slager, 33, has been indicted for the murder of Walter Scott. In April, video footage surfaced of Slager chasing Scott, who was unarmed, and shooting him in the back.

"I think the people of the 9th circuit elected me to be accountable to them, and that's what we intend to do," said Charleston County Solicitor Scarlett Wilson in a press conference on Monday. "They have to know they have someone prosecuting the case who is accountable to them."

"We're going to patiently wait for the criminal trial in this case," said one of Scott's family attorneys Chris Stewart. "It's just about keeping the faith. The community has done that. The family has done that. And we're going to continue to do that until the resolution of the criminal and the civil case."

"It is our belief that Officer Slager, with his history -- as you have known -- should have been reprimanded... before the entire situation with Mr. Scott," he continued.

Slager was the subject of a police complaint in 2013, when he allegedly "tased a man for no reason" before pushing him to the ground.

If Slager is convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.


By Joanna Rothkopf

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Guns Michael Slager Police Brutality South Carolina Walter Scott