Verdict Is In: S. Carolina Ex Cop Michael Slager Gets 20 Years for Killing Walter Scott
In yet another case of a white cop shooting and killing an unarmed Black man, the sentencing has come down and people are wondering if it’s punishment enough.
Michael Slager, the white former police officer who was caught on camera in 2015 killing Walter Scott, an unarmed black man in North Charleston, S.C., has just been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
It’s about time we see some justice, and not the usual slap on the wrist or acquittal.
Here’s what happened: Then-Officer Slager pulled over Walter Scott, a father of four, because of a broken brake light on his Mercedes-Benz. For unclear reasons, Slager ran from his vehicle and Slager chased him. Slager opened fire as Scott was running away, hitting him several times in the back and killing him. Even after he was shot, Slager handcuffed Scott’s arms behind his back. The whole thing was captured on cellphone video by a nearby onlooker, who uploaded it on the Internet. The North Charleston Police Department fired Slager after the footage surfaced.
Now it has been determined legally that Slager “acted out of malice and forethought, shooting dead an unarmed and fleeing Walter Scott,” U.S. District Judge David Norton told the court after several days of testimony, according to the Charleston Post and Courier. “Slager’s actions were disproportional to Scott’s misconduct.”
In the courtroom, Scott’s mother, Judy, told Slager that she forgives him for her son’s killing. She was one of seven family members who spoke before the sentencing.
She recalled her son growing up as a “happy, jolly child,” then turned to Slager directly, telling him, “I forgive you.” That, folks, is true grace. Could you be as forgiving as Judy Scott?
That’s not to say the victim’s relatives were not glad to see the officer held accountable. “We are hurt,” said Anthony Scott, Walter’s brother, “and we do have some type of passion for the Slager family, in that they have to suffer as well. And we do forgive Michael Slager for what he did. But yes, we did want justice for my brother, and we feel that we have gotten a sense of justice.”
Even though this is a rare victory against police brutality and excessive force…is 20 years even enough for what Slager did? Weigh in here!
