CHARLESTON – Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager took the witness stand this morning in his murder trial of Walter Scott.
In emotional testimony, Slager told the courtroom he was in total fear for his life.
He said during a physical fight with Walter Scott, he realized he was outmatched. Scott was much stronger than Slager. Choking up, he told the jury he called for his partner to hurry for help.
He told the jury he initiated the traffic stop to write Scott a warning for a broken tail light. He said it was a typical traffic stop until Scott took off running.
Slager said it is uncommon for drivers to run for a tail light warning and was worried Scott would be anything to get away, though he didn’t know why Scott wanted to get away.
