Ex-officer's lawyers want statements axed from federal trial
Source: Associated Press
Ex-officer's lawyers want statements axed from federal trial
Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Updated 12:46 pm, Friday, February 10, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal judge should not allow prosecutors to use statements that an ex-South Carolina police officer gave to investigators about shooting an unarmed driver who ran from a traffic stop because authorities lied about a video of the killing, defense lawyers say.
Michael Slager only spoke to state investigators three days after the April 2015 shooting on the advice of his first lawyer, who asked agents if there was any video of the shooting and was told there wasn't, defense lawyer Andy Savage wrote in a brief filed Friday.
Slager's federal trial for violating Walter Scott's civil rights by shooting and killing the black man after pulling him over for a broken brake light is set to begin in May. State prosecutors have promised a retrial on a murder charge after Slager's first trial in that court ended in a hung jury.
Before recommending he talk to State Law Enforcement Division agents, Slager's first lawyer, David Aylor, asked if there was any video or evidence from the coroner about where Scott was shot to guide his advice.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Ex-officer-s-lawyers-want-statements-axed-from-10923556.php
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