Trending on Twitter: Walter Scott killed at hands of South Carolina police officer

One of the trending hashtags on Twitter this morning is that of Walter Scott. Scott, a 50-year-old black male from Charleston, South Carolina, was shot several times in the back by a police officer. Scott was engaged and had four children. Why he was brutally shot at remains unclear, but the officer has been charged with murder. Scott’s murder follows those of Michael Brown and Eric Garner – all unarmed black men killed at the hands of police officials. Brown, just a mere 18 years old, was shot to death and Garner was allegedly held by an officer in a chokehold position for 15 seconds. The deaths of these three men have ignited public outcry and civil unrest, with American citizens becoming distrustful of law enforcement officials. A tragic time once again for American communities and as one tweet on Twitter so aptly describes, people are just one bullet away from becoming a hashtag. – Tracey Ruff

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) — A white South Carolina police officer was charged with murder Tuesday, hours after law enforcement officials viewed a dramatic video that appears to show him shooting a fleeing black man several times in the back.

North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is seen standing over 50-year-old Walter Scott after allegedly shooting him in the back as he ran away, in this still image from video in North Charleston, South Carolina taken April 4, 2015. Slager was charged with murder on April 7 after a video showed him shooting eight times at the back of Scott who was running away. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said state investigators decided to charge officer Slager, 33, with the murder of Scott after they viewed the video of the incident, which followed a traffic stop on Saturday morning. The FBI and U.S. Justice Department have begun a separate investigation. REUTERS/HANDOUT via Reuters
North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is seen standing over 50-year-old Walter Scott after allegedly shooting him in the back as he ran away. REUTERS/HANDOUT via Reuters

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced the charges at a hastily called news conference in which he said City Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager made “a bad decision.”

Saturday’s shooting, which began as a traffic stop over a faulty brake light, occurred as Americans grapple with issues of trust between law enforcement and minority communities after a series of deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police. They include the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner on Staten Island, New York. Both sparked protests nationwide.

In the Charleston case, authorities said the victim, 50-year-old Walter Lamer Scott, was shot after the officer already hit him with a stun gun.

“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” Summey said. “When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”

A video of the shooting released to news media outlets shows the officer firing eight shots at Scott’s back as Scott is running away. Scott falls on the eighth shot, fired after a brief pause. The video then shows the officer slowly walking toward him, and ordering him to put his hands behind his back.

When Scott doesn’t move, Slager pulls his arms back and cuffs his hands. Then he walks briskly back to where he fired the shots, picks up an object, and returns the 30 feet (10 meters) or so back to Scott before dropping the object by Scott’s feet.

Attorney L. Chris Stewart, who came to North Charleston a day after the shooting to represent the family, said the video forced authorities to act quickly and decisively, and he called the person who made the video a hero.

“What happened today doesn’t happen all the time,” Stewart told a news conference. What if there was no video?” Scott’s mother stood nearby, saying, “Thank you, Lord” and “Hallelujah.”

Scott may have tried to run from the officer because he owed child support, which can get someone sent to jail in South Carolina until they pay it back, Stewart said. He 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 attorney said. Stewart said the family plans to sue the police department.

Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said the Federal Bureau of Investigation will also investigate the shooting.

At the earlier news conference with the mayor, North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers appeared close to tears.

A Facebook photo of the late Michael Brown, who was shot to death by a police officer.
A Facebook photo of the late Michael Brown, who was shot to death by a police officer.

“I have been around this police department a long time and all the officers on this force, the men and women, are like my children,” he told reporters. “So you tell me how a father would react seeing his child do something? I’ll let you answer that yourself.”

Slager was denied bond at a brief first appearance hearing Tuesday. He was not accompanied by a lawyer. If convicted, he could face 30 years to life in prison. Slager also served in the Coast Guard and had been with the North Charleston police department for five years.

The shooting occurred as heightened scrutiny is being placed on police officer shootings, particularly those that involve white officers and unarmed black suspects. A grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Missouri, officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Brown last August.

Here are some of the tweets on this tragic incident

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