In North Charleston, South Carolina, a police officer, wwMichael Slager, has been charged with the murder of Walter Scott. Slager shot Scott in the back when he attempted to flee from an arrest.
According to the New York Times, “The shooting unfolded after Officer Slager stopped the driver of a Mercedes-Benz with a broken tail light. Mr. Scott ran away and Officer Slager chased him…He fired his Taser…but it did not stop Mr. Scott. Moments after the struggle, Officer Slager reported on his radio, ‘Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser.’”
The Times reported Slager said he feared for his own safety because Scott took his stun gun during their scuffle after the traffic stop. If this part of the story were true, some might argue Slager was permitted to use lethal force to protect himself.
Cell phone video from a bystander indisputably shows that this is not what took place. The chilling video begins right before Scott attempts to run. The video shows Officer Slager attempting to use his Taser to subdue Scott, but the Taser fails. It then shows Slager shooting Scott eight times while he is running away. After the eighth shot, Scott went down.
After Scott is laying face first on the ground, Slager picks up his Taser and drops it by Scott’s body ostensibly to frame him for aggression. It is important to recognize the details of Slager’s purported lie will be determined in a court of law, but the video evidence does seem to be very clear.
The shooting itself is egregious enough to merit the harshest of penalties, but what appears to have been an attempt to lie and cover up his actions to frame a dead victim catapults Slager’s vile act into an even more abhorrent category.
His actions undermined the principles he was tasked with upholding as a law enforcement officer. As Jonah Goldberg writes for National Review, “Faith in the fairness of the justice system is simply indispensable to a democracy and social peace.” Slager made a mockery of this faith in fairness. His actions will undoubtedly damage the relationships between the decent, upstanding police men and women and the communities they serve to protect.
I fear what may have happened without the cell phone video. I cannot predict hypotheticals, but I would venture a guess this would have been swept under the rug and out of the spotlight if his narrative would have been driven by an unlawful, nefarious man like Michael Slager.
This episode should be further evidence of the need of widespread implementation of body cameras for police officers. If used properly, they will serve to protect officers who strive to perform indispensable duties honorably, and will foster confidence between distrusting communities and police forces by shining a light on those whodisregard that trust like Michael Slager.
For Walter Scott’s family, I hope for proper justice – whatever it may be at this point. For Michael Slager, I hope for a prison cell that affords the opportunity to contemplate how his contemptible actions have damaged the profession in which he chose to be a part.
