Judge won’t toss fatal shooting video from officer’s case
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Jurors will see a key piece of video evidence in the upcoming trial of a white ex-South Carolina police officer in the shooting death of a black motorist, despite the defence’s request that it be tossed out.
During a hearing lasting more than an hour Friday, U.S. District Judge David Norton denied a motion by attorneys for Michael Slager to exclude the shooting video from his trial. He dismissed objections that the video only shows part of the altercation between the two men and doesn’t include the officer’s perspective.
The video has been the centerpiece of the case against Slager, 35, who was an officer with the North Charleston Police Department in April 2015 when he shot Walter Scott. The 50-year-old unarmed motorist was running from Slager following a traffic stop when the two men struggled over Slager’s Taser before the officer shot at Scott eight times, hitting him with five bullets in the back.
A bystander captured the shooting on cellphone video, which was shown around the world. Attorneys defending Slager on federal civil rights charges argued Friday the video is prejudicial because it doesn’t show the Taser struggle