A South Carolina grand jury returned a murder indictment on Monday against a White former police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black man in April, inflaming tensions over police brutality against African-Americans, according to MSNBC.
The former officer, Michael Slager of the North Charleston Police Department, was captured on video firing eight shots at Walter Scott on April 4 as Scott was running away from him.
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Scarlett Wilson, a state prosecutor, said that murder was the only charge presented to the grand jury. Slager had previously been charged with murder almost immediately.
From MSNBC:
The officer initially claimed that Scott, 50, grabbed his Taser after a traffic stop. Video captured by a bystander showed a confrontation, then Scott running away, then Slager firing eight times at some distance.
It was the latest in a string of shootings that ignited debate about police tactics, particularly the shooting of unarmed black men. Scott was black; Slager is white.
Wilson said previously that Slager was probably not eligible for the death penalty.
Check back for more on this developing story…
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SOURCE: MSNBC | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
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