The eyewitness who filmed the harrowing moment a white cop fatally shot an unarmed black man in the back has revealed he told officers at the scene about his video - but became afraid and decided to flee with the vital evidence still in his possession.

Feidin Santana, a 23-year-old barber, has been hailed a hero for keeping his cellphone camera trained on Officer Michael Slager as he fired eight shots at Walter Scott, 50, in North Charleston, South Carolina on Saturday.

Mr Santana described what he had seen as a 'persecution' and told other police officers who later arrived at the scene that he had a video of the shooting.

'I know what I saw and I expressed myself to them [the police]. It was an abuse and I saw with my own eyes. I said I had a video tape,' Santana told Morning Joe. 'One of the cops said to ''wait over there'', and I realized that would not be good in that moment. I ran to my job.'

The 23-year-old then contacted a friend who came to his barber shop and watched the video.

'When I showed him [the video], he said this was not good,' Santana said.

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Feidin Santana told Today on Thursday (pictured) that 50-year-old Walter Scott was trying to get away from Officer Slager's Taser when he was shot dead on Saturday. Mr Santana caught the harrowing scene on camera

'NO ISSUES BUT NO AWARD WINNER EITHER': KILLER COP'S JOB HISTORY (INCLUDING A STINT WAITING TABLES IN ITALIAN RESTAURANT) After Officer Michael Slager was charged with murder on Tuesday and terminated from the North Charleston Police on Wednesday, the department released his personnel file. Some 100 pages including his job application, training records, firearm test scores and work appraisals were published online in an astonishing move by his superiors. Among the details were that Slager had graduated from Lenape High School in Medford, New Jersey, in 2001 and was a waiter at an Italian restaurant before he joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2003. He spent six years with the Coast Guard working as a mechanic and engineer and then became involved in security on board vessels. He was hired by the North Charleston Police Department in December 2009. On his job application, Slager wrote that he had learned about the job from another officer and was applying because 'military time is up'. He also ticked the 'no' box for the question: 'Have you been convicted of a felony in the past seven years?' He attended the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy for a nine-week training course. Major Florence McCants, who works at the academy, told Yahoo News that Slager 'didn't create any issues nor was he an award winner in any of the categories'. On a 'daily observation report' while he was a trainee, a supervising officer noted that Slager 'was very enthused and ready to work. He wanted to be involved'. He was noted as competent at running driving licenses and warrant checks on his own and was able to follow instructions. The report noted that he would need more experience but that it would come with more training. In the additional comments section, the training officer noted: 'During this day I spoke with him in reference to certain procedures in reference to conducting motor vehicle stops and citizen contacts.' An observation report from trainee Slager's shift the next day revealed that Slager 'demonstrates a good job in handling suspects 'officer safety) and is very careful while searching suspects'. The same remark about conducting vehicle stops was written on the second observation report. Slager also took course in first-aid and use of a Taser, according to his personnel records. The released documents also included Slager's oath of office that he took to become a cop along with his signed code of ethics. Also included in the document dump was the judgments on complaints lodged against Officer Slager. One complaint, filed in 2013 by Mario Givens, revealed that he a violaton in code of conduct sustained by was exonerated for use of force. The report stated that Slager and another officer 'got into a struggle' with the suspect and 'Slager was forced to use his Taser then drive stun to gain compliance'. Givens said that he had been tased for no reason after exiting the home when the officers asked. Advertisement

The 23-year-old's attorney, Todd Rutherford, said it was good that his client left the scene where seven other officers arrived immediately after the shooting.

Mr Rutherford told Morning Joe: 'He talked to police immediately after the shooting but it was nothing but North Charleston police all in uniform. He got afraid and that's when he left.

'I know what I saw and I expressed myself to them [the police]. It was an abuse and I saw with my own eyes. I said I had a video tape. One of the cops said to ''wait over there'', and I realized that would not be good in that moment. I ran to my job.' Feidin Santana, witness who filmed fatal shooting of Walter Scott

'He was surrounded by officers who have continually lied about what happened. They [the officers] said that they performed CPR on a dying man - they didn't.

'His video is going to get a lot of people in trouble.'

Following the shooting on Saturday, Officer Slager, 33, filed a police report defending his actions, saying he feared for his life and Scott wrestled his Taser gun from him during a scuffle which broke out after he pulled over the 50-year-old for a broken brake light.

Four days later, Mr Santana's explosive video was made public - and blew the cop's story wide open.

Mr Santana told Today that Scott, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and father-of-four, 'was trying to get away from the Taser... He never grabbed the Taser from the police'.

Slager was charged with Scott's murder on Tuesday and could face the death penalty. He was terminated from the North Charleston police department the following day, with Chief Eddie Riggers telling a press conference that he had watched the video and found it 'sickening'.

Slager has not entered a plea to the murder charge nor commented publicly on the killing. He has retained an attorney.

Authorities said on Thursday that dashcam footage from the officer's car could be released today.

A job application for Sagler revealed he had worked as a waiter before joining the military and spent several years with the U.S. Coast Guard, NBC reported.

Shooting victim Scott was also a U.S. Coastguard veteran and had been honorably discharged.

He started working with the North Charleston Police Department in 2009.

Killing: Walter Scott, left, was killed by Michael Slager, right. Scott was a U.S. Coast Guard veteran. Police officer Michael Sagler , (pictured right in his prison mugshot), who has been charged with his murder also was a member of the Coast Guard

Opening fire: Michael Slager, a police officer in Charleston, South Carolina, was caught on video shooting dead 50-year-old black man Walter Scott after reportedly stopping him over a broken tail light on Saturday

The 33-year-old patrolman (pictured standing over Walter Scott's lifeless body having just handcuffed him) had initially defended his actions, saying he feared for his life after Scott wrestled his Taser gun from him during a scuffle. A video released Tuesday contradicted his story

Santana, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, admitted that he had considered erasing the video and leaving town.

'I was scared. I am still scared,' Mr Santana said on Thursday. 'But I decided to show my face. My life has changed. People know where I live and where I work. I thought about staying anonymous but everyone including the police know who I am.'

The eye-witness, who has given his account to independent police investigators, gave a detailed account of last Saturday's shooting.

If I were to have a family member that would happen [to], I would like to know the truth. Mr Scott didn't deserve this, and there were other ways that can be used to get him arrested, and that wasn't the proper way to do that. Feidin Santana, eyewitness to the cop's fatal shooting of Walter Scott

He said he had been walking to work along his usual route when he saw the black man being chased by the white cop.

'It was a persecution,' Mr Santana told Morning Joe. 'I saw Mr Scott running and officer chasing him. They were going to an empty spot.'

Santana also told NBC that before he started recording the scene with his phone the cop 'had control of Scott'.

He said he knew that Officer Slager tasered Scott because he heard the noise of the Taser and the victim yelling out.

Officer Slager fired eight shots at Scott from around 20 feet away while the man had his back turned and was fleeing.

Sagler then cuffed Scott's lifeless body and was seen dropping an object - possibly his service-issue Taser - by his side.

Mr Santana said he did not hear the officer yell stop before he fired the shots at Scott.

He continued to film and moved closer to where the victim was lying lifeless on the ground.

'At that moment, I never thought he was dead. I thought maybe one bullet had hit him, ' Mr Santana said on Thursday.

Mr Santana said that Officer Slager was aware he was at the scene.

He told Today: 'I recorded the video so that maybe he can feel that someone is there.

'There were just the three of us in that moment. I couldn’t tell what was going to happen, so I just wanted him to know that he's not by himself.'

The 23-year-old witness did not see any officer perform CPR on Scott. He saw Slager check for a pulse and a second officer, lift up the victim's shirt to look at the wounds.

Mr Santana decided to reach out to the Scott family with the tape of their loved one's death.

'If I were to have a family member that would happen [to], I would like to know the truth,' he told NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt.

'Mr. Scott didn't deserve this, and there were other ways that can be used to get him arrested, and that wasn't the proper way to do that.'

An Indiegogo page created to raise money in support of police officer Michael Slager had raised almost $400 of a $5,000 goal on Thursday

KILLER COP'S HISTORY OF 'EXCESSIVE FORCE' REVEALED AS QUESTIONS REMAIN OVER HOW MANY COLLEAGUES HELPED COVER UP FATAL SHOOTING OF UNARMED FATHER The white South Carolina police officer charged with murder for shooting an unarmed black man in the back was allowed to stay on the force despite a previous complaint about excessive force, it has been revealed. Charleston resident Mario Givens says Officer Michael Slager burst into his home and then Tasered him in the stomach, even though he was not resisting in September 2013. The revelation adds to growing questions about the conduct of the Charleston police force, and how Officer Slager was able to escape probing questions from his colleagues after he fatally shot unarmed Walter Scott in the back as he fled last week. Yesterday local authorities refused to say whether other police officers will be charged over the shooting of Scott. Seven other officers arrived at the scene immediately after the shooting. Officer Michael Slager, pictured left, in court on Tuesday, and, right, in police uniform, has been with North Charleston police since 2009. He was investigated for use of excessive force in 2013 but exonerated Now Givens has come forward to recount how he was awakened before dawn one morning in September 2013 by loud banging on the front door of his family's North Charleston home. On his front porch was Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager. Givens, who is also black, said he cracked open his door and asked the officer what he wanted. At the time, Givens was clad only in a T-shirt and boxer shorts, he recalled. 'He said he wanted to come in, but didn't say why,' said Givens, now 33. 'He never said who he was looking for.' Then, without warning, Slager pushed in the door, he said. It could have been prevented. If they had just listened to me and investigated what happened that night, this man might be alive today. Mario Givens, who filed a complaint against Officer Slager in 2013, spoke on Thursday about the cop shooting death of Walter Scott ''Come outside or I'll tase you,'' he recalled the officer saying as he burst in. 'I didn't want that to happen to me, so I raised my arms over my head, and when I did, he tased me in my stomach anyway.' He said the pain from the stun gun was so intense that he dropped to the floor and began calling for his mother, who was also in the home. At that point, he said another police officer came into the house and they dragged him outside and threw him to the ground. He was handcuffed and put in the back of a squad car. Though initially accused of resisting the officers, Givens was later released without charge. 'It was very devastating,' said Bessie Givens, 57, who was awaked by her son's piercing screams. 'You watch your son like that, he's so vulnerable. You don't know what's going to happen. I was so scared.' It turned out that the police officers had gone to the family's home at the behest of his brother's ex-girlfriend, who earlier reported awakening in her nearby house to find Matthew Givens in her bedroom, uninvited. She said he left when she began screaming, and she dialed 911. That woman, Maleah Kiara Brown, said on Wednesday that she and a friend had followed the police officers over to the Givens home and were sitting outside as Slager knocked on the door. The second officer had gone around to the back of the house. She had provided the officers with a detailed description of Matthew Givens, who is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall. Mario Givens stands well over 6 feet. 'He looked nothing like the description I gave the officers,' Brown said, referring to Mario Givens. 'He asked the officer why he was at the house. He did it nicely. The police officer said he wanted him to step outside. Then he asked, ''Why, why do you want me to step outside?" Then the officer barged inside and grabbed him.' Moments later, she saw the police officers drag Givens out of the house and throw him in the dirt. Brown said she kept yelling to the officers they had the wrong man, but they wouldn't listen. Though Givens was offering no resistance, she said she saw Slager use the stun gun on him again. 'He was screaming, in pain,' she said. 'He said, "You tased me. You tased me. Why?" It was awful. Terrible. I asked the officer why he tased him and he told me to get back.' She said she later told a female police supervisor what she had seen. 'He was cocky,' she said of Slager. 'It looked like he wanted to hurt him. There was no need to tase him. No reason. He was no threat — and we told him he had the wrong man.' Angered by what happened, Mario Givens went downtown to police headquarters the following day and filed a formal complaint. He and his mother say several neighbors who witnessed what happened on the family's front lawn also contacted the police, though they say officers refused to take their statements. The incident report from that night filed by Slager and the other officer, Maurice Huggins, provides a very different version of events. In the report, obtained by the AP through a public records request, Slager wrote that he could not see one of Givens' hands and feared he might be holding a weapon. He wrote that he observed sweat on Givens' shirt, which he perceived as evidence he may have just run from Brown's home, and then ordered him to exit several times. When Givens didn't comply, Slager said he entered the home to prevent him from fleeing, and was then forced to use his stun gun when Givens struggled against him. According to the officers' report, the two Givens brothers are described as looking 'just alike.' After Mario Givens filed his complaint, the department opened an internal investigation. A brief report included in Slager's personnel file said a senior officer was assigned to investigate. After a couple weeks, the case was closed with a notation that Slager was 'exonerated.' Brown is listed as a witness in the investigative report, but her purported statement included none of the details she said she provided about Slager using his Taser to shock Givens while he was on the ground. She said she was never contacted as part of the police investigation and had not spoken with anyone about that night until she was contacted on Wednesday. The report also includes statements from Givens and another woman who was there that night, Yolonda Whitaker, said she saw Slager stun Givens 'for no reason.' Efforts to reach Whitaker on Wednesday by phone and the addresses listed for her in the police report were unsuccessful. Givens said he was never contacted as part of the internal investigation into Slager and only learned the case had been closed after he went to the station about six weeks later and asked what happened. 'They never told me how they reached the conclusion. Never. They never contacted anyone from that night. No one from the neighborhood,' Givens said. Asked about the 2013 incident on Wednesday, North Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said the department now plans to review the case to see if its decision to exonerate Slager was correct. He had no timetable on when that review might take place. Givens shook his head on Wednesday when asked about his reaction to learning Slager had been charged with murder. Slager is being held in jail without bond. 'It could have been prevented,' Givens said of Scott's death. 'If they had just listened to me and investigated what happened that night, this man might be alive today.' Advertisement

Some waved signs with messages that said 'Walter We All Have Your Back' and 'We Are All Human'

The evening ended with some of the participants observing a moment of silence in honor of Scott's life

'SHOTS FIRED. SUBJECT IS DOWN. HE GRABBED MY TASER': THE AUDIO RECORDING FROM OFFICER MICHAEL SLAGER Patrolman Michael Slager told his colleagues that the unarmed black father had 'grabbed my Taser,' moments after shooting him dead. In this chilling audio recording the officer tells the dispatcher: 'Shots fired. Subject is down. He grabbed my Taser.' The 33-year-old patrolman has been charged with murder after 50-year-old Walter Lamer Scott was shoot last Saturday in North Charleston, South Carolina. The audio recording has emerged as it was revealed the officer was allowed to stay on with the force despite an early complaint that he had used excessive force on an unarmed man. The incident started at 9.53am when officer Slager radioed into his control saying that he was pulling over a grey coloured Mercedes. Minutes later he appears out of breath as he describes chasing a suspect on foot, who he says is black and wearing a green t-shirt. This is followed by a period of no contact from the patrolmen, despite colleagues en-route to assist asking for his location. Slager then makes a further frantic call to dispatchers at 9.38am after firing eight shots at Mr Scott. 'Shots fired. Subject is down. He grabbed my Taser,' After shooting Mr Scott, Slager can be heard telling his control: 'I need to secure my vehicle.' A second officer, named as Clarence Habersham, then uses his radio to report that the victim has gunshot wounds to his chest, right side, and backside. Advertisement

An Indiegogo page has been created to raise money in support of Slager, with donations continuing to come in, and a Facebook page and Twitter account have also been created to 'support the effort'.

'We're campaigning to show our Support for Officer Michael T. Slager! We believe in all of our LEOs and want to publicly support them!' the page read.

'Although he may have made mis-steps in judgement he was protecting the community.'

One of the individuals who donated listed their name as Trayvon.

Earlier, GoFundMe, another popular crowd-funding site, shut down a fundraising campaign for Slager.

On Wednesday night, community residents gathered near North Charleston City Hall close to where the shooting took place to remember Scott. While some held candles and fought back tears, others waved signs with messages that said 'Walter We All Have Your Back' and 'We Are All Human.'

There was also storytelling and at one point the crowd began to chant 'hands up, don't shoot.' The evening ended with a few of the participants observing a moment of silence to honor the life of Scott.

State Rep. Wendell Gilliard attended, according toThe Post and Courier, and spoke to community members, urging them to get 'committed, involved and engaged'.

Many people discussed how different this tragedy could have played out if not for Santana filming the entire incident.

A small memorial of flowers and a single teddy bear was set up in the vacant lot where the father-of four was killed.

The FBI and the Justice Department's civil rights prosecutors announced on Wednesday that a federal investigation would take place.

Hillary Clinton shared her thoughts on the tragedy on Wednesday, tweeting: 'Praying for #Walter Scott's family. Heartbreaking & too familiar. We can do better - rebuild trust, reform justice system, respect all lives.'

A sign reading 'Justice for Walter Scott Black Lives Matter' and flowers lay on the ground where Scott was killed on Saturday

On Wednesday afternoon, local authorities refused to say on whether other police officers will be charged in the shooting cover-up.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey would not answer questions on the involvement of other members of the force.

During a chaotic press conference on Wednesday, demonstrators grew angry after the mayor took over questions directed at Police Chief Eddie Driggers who stepped back from the podium.

Mayor Summey refused to answer questions on other cops' involvement, citing an independent investigation underway by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

'I was taken aback by the warm and kind reception that we received from Scott family. They are an outstanding family within our community. The mother and father are wonderful people and they are suffering. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey

Slager was fired one day after his murder charge but his wife, who is eight months' pregnant, will still receive insurance from the city until after her baby was born because it was the 'humane thing to do', the mayor said.

Mayor Summey and his wife, along with the police chief, visited the Scott family on Wednesday.

The mayor said: 'This has been a horrible tragedy. There have been two families that have been harmed greatly - both the victim's and the officer's family.

The mayor continued: 'I was taken aback by the warm and kind reception that we received from Scott family. They are an outstanding family within our community. The mother and father are wonderful people and they are suffering.

'Please pray for this family. We will be there to support them for the funeral with a police escort. Give them the utmost respect and that for the deceased.'

Scott, a veteran of the U.S. Coastguard, leaves a fiancée, his siblings and four children.

The mayor said that 250 body cameras were going to installed on police officers' uniforms and that drafting of a policy for use was already underway.

Chief Driggers told the press conference that he was 'sickened' by the video and had watched it only once.

No other officers had seen what happened at the shooting scene, according to Driggers.

When asked why no one had performed CPR on Scott, Driggers then said he believed one cop had taken off Scott's shirt and tried to perform life-saving measures.

Driggers said that he had spoken to Walter Scott Sr 'father to father' during a visit to the grieving family's home.

'I would ask you to give them the respect they deserve during this time,' Driggers said. 'We are doing our best as a police department not only to serve but to protect during this time. We are going to continue to strive to do what's right.'

He added: 'I have been praying for peace, peace for the family and peace for this community.'

Before the press conference on Tuesday, demonstrators held up signs and chanted: 'This is what democracy looks like' and 'no justice, no peace'.

Driggers said his department had been under 'no obligation' to turn over the investigation to an independent body but did so 'because it was the right thing to do'.

Demonstrators gathered outside city hall earlier on Wednesday, holding signs which read Black Lives Matter, to protest against the latest cop killing at a time of mounting unrest over police use of force in the U.S. - particularly against black men.

Officer Michael Slager, 33, was caught on videotape holding an object - possibly his Taser - after he shot dead unarmed father-of-four Walter Scott whose body can be seen lying on the ground to the left of the screen

Officer Michael Slager was caught on video tape on Saturday picking up an object - possibly his Taser - from where the confrontation started with Walter Scott and appearing to move it over to the father-of-four's dead body

Slager appeared to be unaware he was being filmed when he fired eight shots at Scott then handcuffed his lifeless body before jogging back (pictured) to collect something he had dropped around 20 feet away

The officer appeared to drop his Taser next to the 50-year-old father-of-four's body in the vacant lot on Saturday in North Charleston. The officer's earlier statement of the shooting did not add up to what a video clip revealed on Tuesday

Walter Scott was seen on camera fleeing from Officer Michael Slager, who draws his weapon in a shocking sequence captured on Saturday in Charleston, South Carolina, which led to Scott's death

Gunned down: Former coast guard Walter Scott is pictured above crumpling to the ground after the eighth shot is fired by Officer Slager

Scott collapsed face-down on a patch of grass. Slager then walked over, shouted at him to put his hands behind his back, then handcuffed him

Aftermath: Officer Slager is pictured standing over Walter Scott and feeling for a pulse after he put the man's fallen body in handcuffs. According to police reports, officers performed CPR on the 50-year-old father - but the cop was not filmed giving any medical assistance

A law enforcement colleague of Slager then arrived and put on blue medical gloves before handling the body, but was not seen giving any medical assistance

WHO IS INVOLVED? THE KEY PLAYERS IN THE FATAL POLICE SHOOTING OF WALTER SCOTT MURDER SUSPECT: OFFICER MICHAEL SLAGER Michael Thomas Slager was a police officer in North Charleston. He's charged with murder. Video shows him firing eight times at a black man who runs away from him after a traffic stop. Slager is white. He's married, and his wife is eight months pregnant, officials said on Wednesday. The city will cover health insurance until after the baby is born even though Slager has been fired, the mayor said. Officials said they didn't know whether Slager has other children. Slager was denied bond at a brief hearing Tuesday. He wasn't accompanied by a lawyer. If convicted, he could face 30 years to life in prison. Slager served in the United States Coast Guard and had been with North Charleston police for five years. THE VICTIM: WALTER L. SCOTT Walter L. Scott, a black man, was fatally shot Saturday. He was initially pulled over because his brake light was out. Scott may have tried to run from the officer because he owed child support, which can send people to jail in South Carolina until they pay it back, his father and a family attorney said. His father said Scott didn't want to go back to jail. Scott had four children, was engaged and had been honorably discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard. There were no violent offenses on his record, the family's attorney said. Family members have indicated they plan to sue the police department. Scott had been in a relationship with the mother of a player on the University of Mississippi football team, according to a statement from coach Hugh Freeze. For junior Fadol Brown, Scott 'served as a father figure' for years, the coach said. A funeral will be held on Saturday. THE POLICE CHIEF: EDDIE DRIGGERS Eddie Driggers began his career in law enforcement in 1975 as an officer in North Charleston, according to a biography on the agency's website. In 1986, he joined the Charleston County Police Department and eventually became assistant sheriff. In 2012, Mayor Keith Summey hired him to lead the North Charleston Police Department. 'Chief Driggers' philosophy is that the office does not belong to him, but rather to the people he serves,' the website says. In 2012, Driggers was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church. He is married. At a news conference Wednesday, protesters called for Driggers to answer questions instead of the mayor. But officials said that because the investigation of the shooting has been turned over to the State Law Enforcement Division, Driggers could not answer specific questions. He did say that the video 'sickened' him. THE MAYOR: KEITH SUMMEY Keith Summey was elected in October 1994 and has won re-election five times. He's widely credited with helping the city recover from the economic devastation when the Charleston Naval Base closed in the mid-1990s. Now the city is home to Boeing's South Carolina operations. Advertisement

The Charleston County Coroner's Office announced on Wednesday that the 50-year-old's death was the result of multiple gunshot wounds to the back. The death was deemed a homicide.

The way he [Slager] was shooting that gun, it looked like he was trying to kill a deer... I don't know whether it was racial, or it was something wrong with his head. The African-American victim's father, Walter Scott Sr, on his son's murder by a white cop in South Carolina

The father of Walter Scott told the Today show on Wednesday that the family wanted justice for their son.

'It would have never come to light. They would have swept it under the rug, like they did with so many others,' Walter Scott Sr said.

Mr Scott Sr added: 'The way he [Slager] was shooting that gun, it looked like he was trying to kill a deer... I don't know whether it was racial, or it was something wrong with his head.'

An outraged representative of Scott's family added: 'This was a cop who felt like he could get away with just shooting anybody that many times in the back.'

Scott may have tried to run because he owed child support which can send you to jail in South Carolina, the family attorney said.

A lawyer for the Scott family on Tuesday said that the footage shows Slager 'casually' taking Scott's life, and acting as if there would be no repercussions.

Attorney L. Chris Stewart said: 'This was a cop who felt like he could get away with just shooting anybody that many times in the back. He just casually shot a man that many times in the back.'

He added: 'At the moment he turned and ran and was not a threat to anybody else that officer was completely unjustified.'

Walter Scott's brother, Anthony Scott, hugs visitors outside his home near North Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday. A police officer has been charged with his brother's murder

Walter Scott, 50, from North Charleston, South Carolina, leaves a fiancée, two siblings and four children. He was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard (right)

Mr Scott shared a picture on social media of his days in the U.S. Coastguard. According to his own caption, he is pictured on the far left

'It just tore my heart to pieces': Elderly mother of Walter Scott sobs as she describes the moment she saw her son gunned down The mother of Walter Scott sobbed on Wednesday as she recalled the moment her heart 'tore to pieces' as watched footage of her son, 50, running for his life in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday. In an interview with GMA, Judy Scott said: 'When I looked at that tape, it was the most horrible thing I've ever seen, I am very, very upset concerning it it. I almost couldn't look at it. 'To see my son running defensively and being shot – it just tore my heart to pieces. I pray that this never happens to another person – this has to got to stop.' Seated between her son, Anthony Scott, and the family's lawyer, Chris Stewart, Mrs Scott was visibly distressed as she added: 'From a child he has been raised in the church. 'From day one he sang in the choir, he played the drums he would call his mom every single day. They never got in trouble they had a beautiful childhood and I had no problem.' Walter Scott's brother, Anthony, said when he arrived at the scene where his brother died he felt something was not right instantly. 'The police told me had died. That is all they gave me. I already knew he had been Tasered – I thought that's what had actually happened. He had gotten Tasered to death. 'But then my nephew told me he had died.' The family's lawyer Chris Stewart said they will be 'seeking recovery to the full extent of the law'. 'We can see how disgraceful the incident this is. His civil rights were directly violated and we're going to be filing a major civil lawsuit against all the responsible parties from this tragedy.' Advertisement

The attorney said the family would also pursue civil charges against Slager, saying they were angry at the way the police department sought to defend the police officer until the video emerged.

He also said that without the video, and the 'hero' who recorded it, there would have been no murder charges.

Stewart told TV crews: 'What happened today doesn't happen all the time - what if there was no video? What if there was no witness - or hero - to come forward?

'The initial reports stated something totally different - the officer said Mr Scott attacked him and tried to use his Taser on him. But somebody was watching.'

Scott's brother, Anthony told WCIV: 'My brother is a kind and sweet person. He talked to everybody, knew all our family members by name, anybody that came in touch with Walter loved him.'

This was a cop who felt like he could get away with just shooting anybody that many times in the back. He just casually shot a man that many times in the back. Scott family attorney L. Chris Stewart

'He loved the [Dallas] Cowboys. We had planned to go to go see them play but I guess that won't happen now.'

At a press conference on Tuesday evening, Anthony Scott spoke out again.

He said: 'From the beginning, all we wanted was the truth... we can't get my brother back and my family is in deep mourning, but the process of justice has been served.

He later added: 'I don't wanna see anyone get shot down the way that my brother got shot down.

'I asked that everyone continue to pray for my family, that we get through this - because we need prayer.'

The Mercedes that Walter Scott was driving when he was stopped on Saturday morning by a North Charleston cop, apparently over a burned-out tail light

HOW THE VIDEO CASTS DOUBT ON POLICE ACCOUNTS OF THE SHOOTING POLICE VERSION Police officer Michael Slager said in a statement earlier this week that his encounter with Walter Scott began at around 9.30am on Saturday. He said he pulled Scott's Mercedes over as a routine traffic stop for a broken brake light. He said Scott then ran away into a vacant grassy lot where, at some point during the chase, the victim confronts Slager. The officer then tried to use his Taser to subdue Scott, but claims the suspect grabbed the stun gun during the struggle, according to the statement. According to police reports, Slager fired the stun gun, but it did not stop Scott. At that point, the officer fired at Scott several times because he 'felt threatened,' Slager's statement said. He added that his actions were in line with procedure. Police then said Slager reported on his radio moments after the struggle: 'Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser.' His department said the officers then performed CPR and delivered first aid to the victim. WHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS Slager's account has been called into question after the video appears to show him shooting Scott in the back. The footage begins in the vacant lot apparently moments after Slager fires his Taser. Wires which administer the electrical current appear to be extending from Scott's body. As Scott turns to run, Slager draws his pistol and, only when he is 15 to 20 feet away, starts to fire the first of the eight shots at his back. The video shows Slager handcuffing Scott's lifeless body. Footage then appears to show Slager jogging back to the point where the Taser fell to the ground, bringing it over to Scott's body around 30 feet away and dropping it next to him. It is only after two-and-a-half minutes that Slager is seen placing his hand on Scott's neck in an apparent attempt to check his pulse. A black colleague then arrives and puts on blue medical gloves before handling the body, but is not seen performing first aid. They are joined by a third officer, who also does not appear to tend to the victim.




