Dash cam: Officer who shot black man told boss he ran away

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By BRUCE SMITH and PHILLIP LUCAS

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The white South Carolina police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of a black man can be heard telling his supervisor twice that he didn't understand why the man ran away, according to dashcam video.

That officer, Michael Slager, in is jail and has been fired in the wake of the April 4 shooting death of Walter Scott, 50, who was buried over the weekend. The shooting happened after Slager pulled Scott over for what the officer said was a broken taillight on his Mercedes.

Scott was behind some $18,000 in his child support payments, and family members have said he may have run because he was worried about going back to jail. A warrant had been issued for his arrest.

The shooting was captured on a cellphone camera by a man passing by and became the latest example nationally of an unarmed black man shot by a white police officer, further stirring outrage.

FULL story a link.



The Rev. Al Sharpton, right, visits a makeshift memorial where Walter Scott was fatally shot by a white police officer after he fled a traffic stop, Sunday, April 12, 2015, in North Charleston, S.C. The officer, Michael Thomas Slager, has been fired and charged with murder. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150413/us--police_officer-fatal_shooting-c45b694bb4.html

[marym625]

1. I have absolutely zero sympathy for this pos.

None. Nada. He was so quick to come up with an excuse it feels like he intended to use it while he was shooting. And yet again, we watch a man die without receiving any first aid. Absolutely no attempt to try and save him.

Such blatant disregard for life is only perpetrated by sociopaths

[rhett o rick]

3. He deserves your scorn, but let's not forget that the bigger problem here

is that we can't trust the police. They kill and lie as if it was part of their training. At the minimum their training doen't make it clear that this shouldn't happen and if it does, the force will not stand behind you.

[marym625]

4. absolutely!

I am doing what I can to try to change this. I posted about it today

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026500854

Absolutely 100% we have to overhaul the entire system.

I am going to bed now. In the morning, I will again be on the phone pushing as much as I can to make this stop.

Good night my friend

[cosmicone]

2. He thought he'd get away with it

Thank god for cell phone cameras and good samaritans who brought it out.

[Sparhawk60]

5. In The Cop's Mind

So let me get this straight, in the cop's mind:

1) The cop thought it was just a routine traffic stop,
2) The cop did not think he was in danger,
3) The man was running AWAY from the cop

And yet the cop shot him any way?

[bigtree]

9. succinct

...and infuriating.

[One_Life_To_Give]

10. A little short

Apparently it would also include;

4) cop catches/tackles suspect.
5) Tussle with suspect.
6) suspect runs away.
7) Cop shoots suspect in back.

[joshcryer]

6. "oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah"

That title is the quote of the disgusting officer telling him the SLED "procedure." As if it's some sort of easy peasy game. Had there been no video this guy would've been off scot free. I fully believe that. Fully and completely.

[Cosmocat]

7. YEP

Most likely the case ...

[Locrian]

8. scary

Then there is a pause for a few seconds, and Slager speaks again, softly:
"I don't understand why he took off like that."
Another short pause.
"I don't understand why he'd run."


That series of quotes is SCARY. It's like he CANNOT believe that someone did not submit completely to his authority and he HAD to shoot him. And then it's like he's blaming the victim for him HAVING to shoot him.

The mindset here is stunning....