Former S.C. officer indicted in death of Walter Scott

Tony Santaella | WLTX-TV, Columbia, S.C.

Show Caption Hide Caption Ex-officer indicted for killing Walter Scott A Charleston County, SC grand jury has returned an indictment against former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager in the shooting death of Walter Scott, an unarmed man that he'd pulled over.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — A grand jury has returned an indictment against a former South Carolina police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black man who he had pulled over.

Solicitor Scarlett Wilson announced Monday that the Charleston County, S.C., grand jury had come back with the indictment against Michael Slager, 33, in the killing of Walter Scott, 50.

Slager was originally charged with murder April 7, and was subsequently fired from the police department.

Slager pulled over Scott's green Mercedes-Benz around 9:30 a.m. April 4. On the officer's dash cam, Slager said he pulled Scott over because of a non-functioning tail light. Several minutes after the stop, Scott ran from his car, and Slager ran after him, and the two eventually ended up in a private park a short distance away.

Initially, Slager said he used a Taser on the man, and the two struggled, and he was forced to pull out his gun and shoot him because he feared for his safety.

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But a video recorded by Feidin Santana, a man walking after the event contradicted that version of events. The video, which shows the final seconds of the confrontation, shows Scott running away, Slager pulling out his service weapon, then firing eight shots at Scott, killing him. Scott had a warrant out for his arrest.

Wilson explained the charge implies a form of premeditation, but that does not mean a person had to consider their actions for a long time. "There's no time limit or time requirement in proving malice of forethought," said Wilson.

In the moments after the shooting, the video shows Slager putting handcuffs on Scott as the man was on the ground. A second officer then responds to the scene. About two and a half minutes after the shooting, Slager can be seen putting his hand on Scott's neck, apparently checking his pulse.

Santana gave the video to the police and Scott's family, and within days, charges were filed against Slager.

At the time of Slager's arrest, Justin Bamberg, an attorney for Scott's family expressed relief that charges were filed, saying, "Where would we be without that video?''

Mark Keel, the chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, said they had concerns about Slager's story from the beginning, saying there were inconsistencies.

"The facts that were presented to us by SLED warranted our seeking the indictment from the grand jury, and we'll just move forward now in preparing our case," Wilson said.

Wilson said at this point, there is no probable cause to charge any other officers.

A trial date has not been set.

Scott's family is pursuing a civil suit in the matter as well.

The shooting occurred after months of national discussion about race and policing after instances of law enforcement confrontations with unarmed citizens in Ferguson, Mo., New York City and elsewhere.

Contributing: William M. Welch, Yamiche Alcindor and Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY.