COMMENTARY

I dont know what kind of man Walter Scott was before he was shot in the back while fleeing from an officer in North Charleston, South Carolina. In the hours since the video of his death has been made public, I have learned that he was a member of the Coast Guard, had been arrested, and that he owed some child support. But those facts do not lead me to believe I have a solid understanding on who Walter Scott was. I do, however, know that the fallout from the video of his death has already begun to progress as these things do. Soon, Im certain we will be warned not to lump all cops in with the North Charleston, South Carolina officer charged with murder. Well be told that most cops are good cops.

But if so many cops are good, why are we here again?

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Fifty-year-old Walter Scott did not pose a significant threat to the life of 33-year-old North Charleston police officer Michael T. Slager when he was sprinting away from him with his back turned. The law permits an officer to use deadly force if and only if the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.

Based on what we already know, I do not believe Scott was a threat to Slager. Because Slager has already lied about one key point.

Slager pulled over a Mercedes-Benz with a broken tail light. Scott was its driver. Scott allegedly ran away from Slager into a grassy knoll, and, according to police reports, was undeterred by the firing of Slagers stun gun.

So Slager shot at him eight times, bringing him to the ground and mortally wounding him. And then he radioed in, telling dispatch that the suspect had taken his stun gun. The stun gun he used before the gun used to kill the suspect.

The New York Times published this video of the incident, taken by a bystander. It contains some graphic content.

Not only does Scott, who was running from his car, not appear to have any weapon, he is running full speed away from Slager, the significance of his threat diminishing with each step in the opposite direction.

Read the original post:
Police Deserve to Make it Home. So Did Walter Scott