"It started as a righteous traffic stop": Geraldo Rivera's absurd rationalization of Walter Scott killing

Rivera said that Walter Scott was "acting very hinky" and "very edgy" in the moments leading up to his death

Published April 10, 2015 2:52PM (EDT)

    (Fox News)
(Fox News)

North Charleston officials have released a dashcam video which details the moments before Officer Michael Slager shot and killed Walter Scott. Missing from that footage: the struggle between Scott and Slager -- as well as the actual shooting that followed.

Fox's Geraldo Rivera joined the Fox & Friends team this morning and said that he was glad that the video was released because it provided much-needed context for the murder. However, not even those conducting the Fox & Friends round-table seemed prepared for Rivera's take-away: "It started as a righteous traffic stop," he said, before then explaining that Scott was "acting very hinky" and "very edgy."

"[Officer Slager] has done everything professional and now he’s had this, this civilian has dared to physically have this altercation with the officer," he continued. "Put that in the officer’s head now. I think it saves him from the murder rap."

Rivera said that he didn't want to talk "statistics," but rather "perception" when asked about the killing in relation to racially-targeted police brutality. "There is definitely a perception in this country among minority families, particularly African-American, that too many young black men are being killed in encounters with cops unnecessarily. You've got to start with that feeling."

Watch the clip via TPM below:


By Colin Gorenstein

Colin Gorenstein is Salon's assistant editor of internet and viral content. Follow @colingorenstein or email cgorenstein@salon.com.

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Dashcam Fox & Friends Fox News Geraldo Rivera Video Walter Scott