Justice
Shot in the Back, 15 Feet Away
Video footage taken by a bystander played a key role in the arrest of a North Charleston police officer on murder charges Tuesday.
Of all the recent high-profile incidents that have seen white U.S. police officers accused of being far too quick to resort to lethal force against black male suspects, the videotaped evidence against Officer Michael Slager may be the most clear-cut.
Slager, 33, of the North Charleston, South Carolina, police department, was arrested and charged with murder late Tuesday in the shooting death of Walter L. Scott, 50, The Post and Courier, a local newspaper in Charleston, reports. The Post and Courier and The New York Times have both published graphic video footage of the incident taken by a bystander, which North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said in a news conference on Tuesday was the key piece of evidence that led to Slager's arrest.