Have any white conservatives come to the defense of the police murderer in Charleston yet?

[bluestateguy]

Politicians? Radio talk show hosts? Columnists? Pundits?

[arcane1]

1. Someone tried to start a GoFundMe page to raise money for him.

It was rejected Though now there's an Indiegogo page for him:

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/04/08/3644461/gofundme-rejects-campaign-support-south-carolina-officer-charged-murder/

[valerief]

2. Racist murderers of a feather stick together.

[yeoman6987]

40. One of our Duers went to freepland yesterday and

They are calling him a murderer. It you don't get those Repugs I think your done for.

[Warpy]

3. Looks like the video has already been edited

and now starts with the taser on the ground. The original has been pulled from the Post and Courier.

Now it might be my imagination, but I could swear the four or five times I watched the beginning of that video yesterday, it looked like Scott either jerked from shock or slapped the taser out of the cop's hand. At no time did he take any sort of hold of it.

Do any of the rest of you remember the beginning like I do?

There is an obvious edit at the beginning of the video now. It was not well done.

[Glassunion]

4. I remember it that way as well.

[Warpy]

5. I suppose we have the NYT to thank

since it not only has that clumsy edit, it's also smothered in ugly black boxes with unnecessary prose.

I guess the whitewashing has begun.

Thanks for letting me know I wasn't imagining things. I am old, you know.

[kelliekat44]

37. I remember it that way as well. There are original copies available.

But what does it matter if he grabbed for the taser gun? A taser gun? And this cop was in fear of his life?l Bullshit!!

[Glassunion]

38. I disagree on that point.

If someone is fighting with an officer and they go to grab the tazer that could be a problem.

[jberryhill]

6. Unfortunately, people have their own ideas about what the "important" parts are

...and there may be a copyright claim in the video going around.

bookmark this one, as it starts a little earlier, and you can hear the taser clicking sound at around the seven second mark.

But if you are going with this: "Scott either jerked from shock or slapped the taser out of the cop's hand" - that's more helpful to the defense than the prosecution, because going for the cop's weapon is an assault on the cop.

It's not clear to me how the taser gets out of the cop's hand. However, if he decides to switch from the taser to his gun, then it seems that he would throw the taser behind him, as opposed to saying, "Here, hold this while I get my gun" or otherwise having it within reach Scott.

But there's a whole lot that must have transpired before the video starts. The police radio has the car at Remount and Dakota. The shooting takes place in the lot behind the Mega Pawn.

Have a look at how far they went:

[link:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Remount+Rd+%26+Dakota+St,+North+Charleston,+SC+29406/@32.8985454,-80.0135091,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88fe637eefb383c9:0x8eb0b55f870d15cb|

Just eyeballing it, it looks like a good 600 feet away.

[Glassunion]

9. Your eyeballs need a bit of calibration.

600 feet?

Maybe 20 feet when the shooting starts and 50 when Scott finally fell down.

[jberryhill]

10. From the traffic stop at Remount & Dakota

The map link didn't work....

The traffic stop was at Remount & Dakota.

The shooting was behind the Mega Pawn.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Remount+Rd+%26+Dakota+St,+North+Charleston,+SC+29406/@32.899775,-80.0123799,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x88fe637eefb383c9:0x8eb0b55f870d15cb

This all started with a traffic stop.

You tell me what the distance looks like from Remount & Dakota to the lot behind the Mega Pawn.

That distance covered before they get to the place where the video starts (and you can walk around in Google Streetview), leaves a lot of room for the defense to come up with a backstory.

[Glassunion]

14. My bad. I thought you were referring to the distance between the

Officer and the victim.

My bad. Carry on.

[jberryhill]

15. That's understandable. The link didn't work right the first time

[Warpy]

16. Looks like the cop had chased him a long distance already

This is what I mean by evidence that can impress a jury into thinking there might have been some cause to shoot a man in the back.

I don't agree. If the cop was exhausted from chasing Scott for several blocks and Scott was no threat to anyone else, the prudent thing to do is call it in and let somebody who isn't worn out take up the chase. By that time, Slager knew who he was and what the warrants were for.

Then again, it's SC and you never know what a jury is going to do.

[jberryhill]

23. I agree, the prudent thing to do was to give up the chase

They had his car back at Remount & Dakota.

The police radio transmissions further mention someone else being in the car, so there's more to come.

But that distance covered before they arrive at the lot behind the Mega Pawn leaves plenty of room for a wild and wooly tale.

[Adsos Letter]

17. The distance from the intersection Dakota & Remount

The distance from the intersection Dakota & Remount to the entrance to the greenbelt behind the Mega Pawn is approx. 700 ft. according to GoogleEarth. That is a straight line joining the two and doesn't account for any movement around buildings, etc., which would increase that distance.

I'm guessing the shooting took place somewhere around 32°53'53.32"N 80° 0'53.66"W on GoogleEarth, as you can see the rollup doors along the rear of what appears to be the back of the Suzuki building behind Slager and Scott.

I got the impression (I'll have to watch it again) that something in Slager's hand came apart as Scott slapped at Slager's hands. Possibly the taser cartridge?

[Warpy]

20. Possibly. My sight isn't good enough to see the leads or their cassette

but good enough to see Scott's arm moving downward and the taser hit the ground.

[jberryhill]

26. That doesn't mean Scott knocked it out, though

Scott may have been merely deflecting the business end of it, whereupon the cop tosses it backwards to free his hand to go for the gun.

It's not clear how the gun leaves Slager's hand.

[jberryhill]

22. "something in Slager's hand came apart"

Watch the ground behind Scott as he runs away - particularly along the grass. Something is attached to Scott and is being trailed behind him.

[Adsos Letter]

30. Yes, I see it now.

I had to set my video player to 720p HD and then it was quite clear. Also watched the video with earplugs in, and heard a distinctive popping sound immediately prior to Scott and Slager appearing on screen. Just judging by the movements of Slager after that popping, it could have been the taser firing.

Or something else.

[jberryhill]

31. earbuds definitely help

It's amazing what you can pick up by closing your eyes and listening.

I thought it was a cicada, but then realized it's the beginning of April.

[Adsos Letter]

36. Yup.

And immediately prior to Scott and Slager first appearing on camera you can hear what appears to be a raised voice/voices. I wonder if they'll be able to hear what is being said?

Anyway, Scott appeared to be at least 15' away when Slager first fired his weapon, and as you pointed out in another post, Scott was moving away from him. It doesn't appear from the video that Slager made any attempt to search him for a weapon once he was down, so I'm not sure he can claim that he thought he was armed.

EDIT: looked at it again and it is unclear whether he gives him a quick frisk before cuffing him.

[jberryhill]

32. Google Streetview has a good view of the lot from Craig Rd.

You can drop that little yellow guy on Craig Road and get a pretty good look around that lot.

[Warpy]

11. Thanks. You can barely see Scott's arm moving downward

and the taser hitting the ground. That's what I was talking about. It's subtle and it's not much but it makes a huge difference about "grabbed my taser" not being particularly accurate. The NYT version starts with Scott already several feet away from the cop and beginning to run.

I agree that there was a whole lot that happened before the video started. I think it also had to be loud, considering it attracted the guy who made the video. Whether or not it's exculpatory is up to a jury.

My own opinion is that unless they empanel 12 Klanners, Slager is toast unless he plea bargains down to manslaughter.

Then again, this is SC, you never know what's going to happen.

[jberryhill]

13. There's more to it than that

Watch the ground *behind* Scott as he runs away. Look closely. You'll see something trailing behind him.

I'm not an expert on tasers, which is why I asked on another thread how those things are put together. There is apparently a cartridge which snaps onto the front of the unit which contains the barbs and the wire.

So, what do you think is the thing being dragged behind Scott as he runs away. It's a little black thingamabob which scoots quickly off the path, and then you see it come out behind the tree and bounce along the grass at the same speed Scott is running.

If it is the taser cartridge - and that's an if - then how did it get separated from the front of the taser? Looking at pictures of tasers, there seems to be a sort of snap release mechanism.

[Warpy]

18. Popped out when the taser hit the ground?

My eyesight isn't good enough to pick up a small black thingmabob bouncing on the path behind Scott.

I also missed the cop dropping the taser next to the body. I certainly saw him cuff a dying man without checking him out and walk back to get the taser.

[jberryhill]

21. The taser goes backward

The little black thingamabob starts out in front of Slager's foot, and then scoots off the path. It's easier to see when it is bouncing along the grass.

The drop is very quick and needs an enhanced screencap. He definitely drops the taser, and then later picks it up and holsters it.

If you go to where the second cop is squatted down and Slager is walking over, you see the taser in Slager's hand. Then, as the POV shifts, you see it is no longer in his hand. After that, you see him pick it up and holster it.

[jberryhill]

19. ...and as we've been discussing....

...apparently the young man who shot the video has given a television interview in which he says they were struggling and on the ground before he started taking the video.

It would be great if everyone didn't see these things as an opportunity to go on television.

But you can see where this is going, which is why I was surprised you think that *any* indication of a preliminary altercation helps the prosecution, instead of helping the defense.

Some piece of the taser got separated from the taser, which is why it is trailing Scott as he runs away.

The NYT version is more exculpatory, in that sense, than the full version, because if you listen to the radio transmission, Slager is pretty out of breath when he says "grabbed my taser". You are interpreting that as the moment the taser goes loose in the video, but you don't know if Slager is referring to the struggle which the witness describes before turning on the camera.

[Warpy]

24. True, and this would help the defense, not the prosecution

That's why the NYT version was edited to the point the taser was on the ground and Scott was on his way. It would lend a little more credence to "grabbed" if people didn't see it being slapped away.

Too many people here are thinking that video is the whole story and it's not, it rarely is.

It's why I got sandbagged last night for saying the rest of the story might tip the balance in the cop's favor. Nobody at that point knew what provoked the whole thing. I just pointed out there had to be more to it.

FWIW, I think the shooting was unjustified. You just never know what a jury will do when they hear the full story.

[jberryhill]

29. I don't think there is a world of difference in that regard...

Between "grabbed" or "slapped away". Either one is an aggressive move. From there you have assault, and from there you have "fleeing felon". That's where the defense is going to go. But now, the guy who shot the video has them wrestling on the ground to start with.

But, yeah, chasing a guy two blocks for a broken tail light, when you have his car right there, is pretty good insurance that you'll catch up with him sooner or later anyway, and doesn't require supercop theatrics.

[arcane1]

33. Could he have swatted the taser wires out of himself, causing the cop to drop it?

I know I would be trying to swat at that damned thing, by pure instinct!

[jberryhill]

34. There are a lot of possibilities

In order to go for his gun, the taser is going to have to come out of Slager's hand.

The taser appears to go behind Slager when it leaves his hand.

It would make sense to throw the taser backwards to make sure it is out of the reach of Scott.

At the beginning of the video, the taser is crackling away. It could have simply been spent; the barbs may not have contacted Scott; whatever. I have no clue how it left Slager's hand.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

7. Funny how Rudy Giuliani is suddenly not running his mouth off on police issues

and has been MIA from his usual cable news home these last few days

[Warpy]

25. Yes, we can be grateful for that, at least

and I am.

[n2doc]

8. "He shouldn't have tried to run away"

That's all I got before changing the channel.

[workinclasszero]

12. Thats what the jurors will say when they free the killer cop

You ran away so you deserve 8 bullets in the back...(insert hateful racial epitaph here).

Good job Mr. Policeman!

[Comrade Grumpy]

27. I caught some of the hideous "The Five" on Fox. Even they couldn't defend it.

[samsingh]

28. i think the narrative from the right wing assholes is being drafted

i'm sure imbeciles will start giving the murdering cop money.

[truebluegreen]

35. How can anyone--even on Fux--claim the officer was legitimately "in fear for his life"

when the victim was running away, no matter what went on prior to the point where the video starts? They were on the (sic) floor, maybe he was tased, maybe he slapped the taser out of the officer's hand, or whatever, seems to me it doesn't matter. He was disengaging from the incident, and running away. There was no danger. He didn't even turn around, put his head down and charge at the officer like a football player ( ). The officer knew who he was, knew where he lived no doubt, could have found him later--and chose instead to shoot him in the back, not because he was "in danger" or "in fear for his life" but because he just fucking wanted to.

And while I'm thinking about it, somebody like the NSA should do something useful for once, go to that indiegogo page or whatever it is, take down all the names of whoever donates to this asshole and put them on a terrorism watch list.
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OK I didn't mean that last part.

[jberryhill]

39. Well said

[Vattel]

41. Geez, apparently cameras are crucial in South Carolina. Remember this one:

That was also in South Carolina. Without the dash cam, it would have been another cop-said-victim-said thing.