Showing posts with label Walter Scott. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walter Scott. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Michael Slager pleads guilty in shooting death of Walter Scott

HIS NAME IS WALTER SCOTT. In a case that has been under the radar the police officer who murdered Walter Scott has taken a plea to federal charges against him. This wont bring Walter Scott back but Slager wont be on the street to kill anyone else for awhile. George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com.

In a plea deal with prosecutors, former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager admitted to using excessive force in the 2015 shooting death of Walter Scott.

Slager shot Scott in the back as the unarmed man was running away from Slager after a traffic stop. In a reversal from his previous account, Slager admitted in court Tuesday that he did not shoot Scott in self-defense and said that his use of force was unreasonable.

With his family and Scott's family present, Slager pleaded guilty Tuesday in US District Court in Charleston to a federal charge of deprivation of rights under the color of law. In exchange for the plea, state murder charges, as well as two other federal charges, will be dismissed.

The civil rights offense has a maximum penalty of life in prison. The plea agreement states that the government will ask the court to apply sentencing guidelines for second degree murder, which carries up to 25 years in prison. He was taken into custody after the hearing and will remain there until sentencing later this year.

Scott's mother said the sentence mattered little to her now that Slager had admitted responsibility.

"What made me feel good about it is that Michael Slager admitted what he did. That was enough years for me," she said in response to the question how much time she wanted Slager to serve.

"No matter how many years Michael Slager gets, it would not bring back my son," she said. "This is a victory for Walter. This is justice for the family, but this is just the beginning."

[SOURCE: CNN]

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Black people, if black lives matter then we have to stop ducking jury duty.

If we are really tired of police officers always being acquitted by juries after killing unarmed black men then we as black people have to stop ducking jury duty and serve on these juries. Listen to more below.

Saturday, December 03, 2016

How one juror is holding up a verdict in the Michael Slager trial

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Many in the black community had doubts that Michael Slager would be convicted of murdering Walter Scott even before the trial started. Those doubts were only magnified when a predominantly white jury was picked with only the jury foreman being African American. It turns out that those suspicions may be well founded.

A video clearly shows Walter Scott running way and being shot five times in the back. That same video shows Slager planting a taser by Scott's body. And on top of that, the North Charleston police department fired him for using excessive force. In spite of all that one lone white juror refuses to convict him of either manslaughter or murder.

What's very sad is that the juror is not saying that Slager is not guilty, and even refers to him as a killer but that he can't and won't convict him under any circumstances.

In an unusual move the juror bypassed the jury foreman sent a letter directly to the judge in the case, Judge Newman stating why he could not and would not convict.

Newman read the letter to the court in which the juror wrote:

"I can’t in good conscience approve a guilty verdict”.

“I regret to say we may never reach a unanimous decision,”

“We all struggle with the death of a man,” the juror continued. “My heart does not want to have to tell the Scott family that the man who killed their son, brother and father is innocent. But with choices, I cannot and will not change my mind.”

Judge Newman has instructed the jury to come back on Monday and to resume deliberations. If the jury can come to no verdict, the judge has said that he would declare a mistrial. Unfortunately, that looks like where we are headed.

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Federal grand jury indicts Michael Slager in shooting of Walter Scott

A federal grand jury this week indicted former North Charleston officer Michael Slager on charges of violating a civil rights law and misleading investigators in Walter Scott’s death, a rare measure in police shootings that gives authorities another route to reach a conviction.

Chief among the three charges is a count of deprivation of civil rights under the color of law. Public officials are barred under the federal statute from using their powers to violate people’s “rights, privileges or immunities.” The indictment alleges that Slager was acting with his authority as a policeman when he used unreasonable force — a violation of the Constitution — by shooting Scott five times from behind.

He also was indicted on counts of using a firearm in a violent crime and obstruction of justice. He’s accused of telling state investigators that Scott was coming at him with his own Taser when he fired. A video showed Scott running away.

The grand jury first met nearly a month ago and handed down the indictment Tuesday. It was made public Wednesday.

Slager, 34, is expected to be arrested again under a federal warrant. He has been free on bail since January in the state’s murder case. An arraignment was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown Charleston.

Read more: Federal grand jury indicts Michael Slager

Wednesday, January 06, 2016

Killer of Walter Scott released on bail

A police officer who shot dead a black motorist in South Carolina has been released on $500,000 bail, The Post and Courier newspaper reported Monday.

Michael Slager, who was dismissed from the North Charleston police force after the incident, had been held in jail since his arrest in April for killing 50-year-old Walter Scott.

"The decision was met with gasps from Scott's family and with tears from Michael Slager's wife and parents, who appeared together for the first time in the downtown Charleston courtroom," the daily reported.

"Slager was released at 7 pm after posting $500,000 bail, a jail spokesman said. Under a surety bond, he would have to pay $50,000 of that total," it added.

[SOURCE]

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Ben Carson calls shooting of unarmed black man an "execution"

During the National Action Network convention Dr. Ben Carson called the shooting of Walter Scott an execution. You know you screwed up when even Mr. "Say bad stuff about black people" questions your actions. Yeah, it could have been the venue or the fact that this shooting is was caught on video but I'll give Carson the benefit of the doubt on this one. Watch Dr. Carson's comments below.

Thursday, April 09, 2015

Hillary Clinton comments on Walter Scott shooting.

Former US Senator , Secretary of State, and prospective presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted the following in response to the shooting death of Walter Scott.









South Carolina Senator Tim Scott post responses to Walter Scott shooting

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott tweeted several messages about the horrific shooting of Walter Scott in North Charleston. See his messages below.

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

ANOTHER white South Carolina police officer arrested for killing an unarmed black man.

I'm sure by now that you have all seen the tragic shooting death of Walter Scott by the hands of a South Carolina police officer. That officer, was charged with murder. Just one day later another South Carolina officer from North Augusta has been arrested and charged in the murder of another unarmed black man, Ernest Satterwhite who was parked in his own driveway. George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.com

A white public safety officer in South Carolina who fatally shot a black man after a 2014 car chase has been arrested on a felony charge, the state’s Law Enforcement Division announced Tuesday.

Justin Gregory Craven, a 25-year-old North Augusta public safety officer, was charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle in the February 2014 death of Ernest Satterwhite. If convicted, Craven could go to prison for up to 10 years and face a fine of $1,000.

According to investigators, after Craven attempted to make a traffic stop for a suspected DUI, Satterwhite, 68, led the officer on a car chase from North Augusta to Satterwhite’s home, miles away in Edgefield County. There, investigators say, Craven fired repeatedly through the driver-side door of Satterwhite’s car after Satterwhite had stopped in his driveway.

Read more: White officer now faces felony charge for fatally shooting a black man in his driveway