South Carolina police officer Michael Thomas Slager was indicted for murder after shooting unarmed black man Walter Scott in the back, prosecutor Scarlet Wilson announced on Monday.
Slager, a white North Charleston patrolman, was charged with murder in April after video showed him firing eight shots at Scott while chasing him following a traffic stop. Slager alleged that he felt threatened by Scott and that Scott tried to grab his stun gun.
In found guilty, Slager could face somewhere between 30 years and life in prison, according to Wilson. She said that she has not yet decided whether she will bring any additional charges against Slager or anyone else involved in the case.
Wilson did not announce trial dates for the case.
Now the question is- will they get a jury that will actually take the video and everything else into consideration or are they going to find a jury that will take one look at it and acquit?
At least the authorities took this seriously and have done what they can to handle this. Now it is up to a jury of the defendant’s peers. If the jury acquits, it’s on those people themselves.
Given that it’s South Carolina, the capital of American treason, the likelihood of conviction is probably up there with the likelihood of the sun rising in the west tomorrow. Wish it was otherwise, but the South will always be The South.
Somewhere in an undisclosed closet in his campaign HQ, Lindsey is working up some faux outrage over the indictment and we’ll hear from him soon decrying . . . well, you fill in the rest.
Just as when Cops always walked from things like this prevailing sentiment is what drives justice. It’s now not cool for a Cop to do this and lying about it with video all over the place is no longer possible.
Outrage now rules the day. Good. The “code of blue” has taken a much needed hit and we are all going to be better off for it.