Officer Charged With Murder for Shooting Unarmed Man in the Back

‘A South Carolina police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man has been arrested and charged with murder.

The officer, Michael T. Slager, 33, claimed he feared for his life because the man, Walter L. Scott, 50, took his stun gun in an altercation during a traffic stop on Saturday.

From The New York Times:

The shooting unfolded after Officer Slager stopped the driver of a Mercedes-Benz with a broken taillight, according to police reports. Mr. Scott ran away, and Officer Slager chased him into a grassy lot that abuts a muffler shop. He fired his Taser, an electronic stun gun, but it did not stop Mr. Scott, according to police reports.

Moments after the struggle, Officer Slager reported on his radio, “Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser,” according to police reports.

But video evidence provided by a bystander appears to tell a different story:’

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