A North Charleston police officer was charged with murder on Tuesday after a Charleston man was killed in a shooting after the officer conducted a traffic stop this past weekend, according to SLED.
Officials with SLED were provided video footage of the Saturday morning shooting and as a result North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager, age 33, was arrested.
Officials say that Officer Michael Thomas Slager, a 5-year veteran of the force, had an altercation with a driver who fled a routine traffic stop that resulted in the death of the driver, Walter Lamer Scott.
50-year-old Scott was shot at 8 times as he fled from the officer on foot, according to video captured of the incident.
(WARNING: Video is graphic and contains cursing)
The video, filmed by an unnamed bystander, is very graphic and clearly shows Scott running while being shot at several times, before collapsing with his body lifeless.
The officer is then seen walking to Scott and ordering him to put his arms behind his back. Scott’s body is lifeless.
The video then shows the officer walking back to the original scene of the scuffle, picking up his Taser and then returning to Scott’s body where the appears to drop the Taser.
According to the North Charleston Police Department, the incident began at 9:30 a.m. Saturday when Officer Slager conducted a traffic stop on the driver of a Mercedes Benz at Craig Street and Remount Road. The driver of the vehicle, Walter Scott, fled on foot down Craig Street with the officer in pursuit, police said.
The officer deployed his department issued Taser in an effort to detain the driver, which was not effective. An altercation between the officer and the driver took place leading to a struggle over the officer’s Taser, officials say. During the struggle, the suspect gained control of the Taser to use it against the Officer, police said.
“The Officer then discharged his service weapon to stop the threat,” police originally said.
Even though lifesaving efforts were conducted by officers prior to EMS’s arrival and EMS efforts on scene, Walter Scott was pronounced dead.
