SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Police officer Michael Slager, of the Charleston Police Department in South Carolina, was sentenced to twenty years in prison for murdering 50-year-old Walter Scott, who he shot in the back. The killing was caught on film by a passerby. (Image: Screenshot)
Michael Slager, Police Officer Who Murdered Walter Scott, Sentenced to Twenty Years
Video by passerby showed officer shooting black man in the back and then altering the scene of the crime
Dec 07, 2017
Michael Slager, the police officer in South Carolina who murdered 50-year-old Walter Scott by shooting him in the back in 2015 was sentenced to twenty years in prison on Thursday--a rare case in which video evidence taken by a bystander led to an officer being held to account for taking the life of an unarmed black man.
Even though the sentence was not as long as prosecutors--and many in the public--had called or hoped for, the murder conviction was significant because it acknowledged that Slager "willfully used unreasonable force when he shot Walter Scott, even though Scott was unarmed and posed no threat."
Though Slager's original trial ended in "mistrial," his ultimate conviction of second-degree murder and Thursday's sentencing came as a result of a plea agreement between prosecutors and his defense attorneys. As he handed down the sentence, U.S. District Judge David Norton said Slager "acted out of malice and and forethought, shooting dead an unarmed and fleeing Walter Scott."
At a news conference following the sentencing, Rodney Scott, one of Walter's brother, said the family was "pleased" with the sentence, though it would do nothing to bring Walter back. "We got justice," he said, adding that he hoped other families out their who experienced similar tragedies would also receive justice.
Watch:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Michael Slager, the police officer in South Carolina who murdered 50-year-old Walter Scott by shooting him in the back in 2015 was sentenced to twenty years in prison on Thursday--a rare case in which video evidence taken by a bystander led to an officer being held to account for taking the life of an unarmed black man.
Even though the sentence was not as long as prosecutors--and many in the public--had called or hoped for, the murder conviction was significant because it acknowledged that Slager "willfully used unreasonable force when he shot Walter Scott, even though Scott was unarmed and posed no threat."
Though Slager's original trial ended in "mistrial," his ultimate conviction of second-degree murder and Thursday's sentencing came as a result of a plea agreement between prosecutors and his defense attorneys. As he handed down the sentence, U.S. District Judge David Norton said Slager "acted out of malice and and forethought, shooting dead an unarmed and fleeing Walter Scott."
At a news conference following the sentencing, Rodney Scott, one of Walter's brother, said the family was "pleased" with the sentence, though it would do nothing to bring Walter back. "We got justice," he said, adding that he hoped other families out their who experienced similar tragedies would also receive justice.
Watch:
Michael Slager, the police officer in South Carolina who murdered 50-year-old Walter Scott by shooting him in the back in 2015 was sentenced to twenty years in prison on Thursday--a rare case in which video evidence taken by a bystander led to an officer being held to account for taking the life of an unarmed black man.
Even though the sentence was not as long as prosecutors--and many in the public--had called or hoped for, the murder conviction was significant because it acknowledged that Slager "willfully used unreasonable force when he shot Walter Scott, even though Scott was unarmed and posed no threat."
Though Slager's original trial ended in "mistrial," his ultimate conviction of second-degree murder and Thursday's sentencing came as a result of a plea agreement between prosecutors and his defense attorneys. As he handed down the sentence, U.S. District Judge David Norton said Slager "acted out of malice and and forethought, shooting dead an unarmed and fleeing Walter Scott."
At a news conference following the sentencing, Rodney Scott, one of Walter's brother, said the family was "pleased" with the sentence, though it would do nothing to bring Walter back. "We got justice," he said, adding that he hoped other families out their who experienced similar tragedies would also receive justice.
Watch:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy