Protesters decry racism after South Carolina officer shoots man in back
Protesters decry racism after South Carolina officer shoots man in back, Demonstrators rallied on Wednesday against what they described as a culture of police brutality in South Carolina in the case of a white officer caught on video killing a black man by shooting him in the back as the man ran away after a traffic stop.
Holding signs that read "The whole world is watching" and "Back turned, don't shoot," dozens of protesters in North Charleston said the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott on Saturday should not be viewed as an isolated incident.
"There is an atmosphere of racism in North Charleston, and we need to get rid of it," said Ramon Roane, 52, one of the speakers who gave examples of what they called unfair treatment by city police and leaders amid chants of "No more! No more!" by the crowd.
Police officer Michael Slager was charged on Tuesday with murder in the death of Scott, the latest among several shootings over the past year, including in New York, Ferguson, Missouri, Cleveland, Ohio and other places. The shootings have stirred debate across the United States about police use of lethal force and race relations, also drawing President Barack Obama into the discussion.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice are investigating Scott's shooting. Civil rights leaders have called for calm, and many people praised the courage of the witness who filmed the killing and gave the video to Scott's family.
"When I saw it, I fell to my feet and my heart was broken," Scott's father, Walter Scott Sr., said on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday.
Without the video, he said, "It would have never come to light. They would have swept it under the rug, like they did with so many others."
The shooting was the 11th involving a police officer in South Carolina this year and the second in North Charleston, said Thom Berry, spokesman for the state's law enforcement division. No one was injured in the prior incident in the city in January, he said.
Police said Saturday's shooting occurred after Slager, 33, who joined the department in 2009, stopped Scott for a broken brake light.
The video shows a brief scuffle between the pair before Scott begins to run away. Slager is then seen taking aim with a handgun before shooting eight times at Scott's back. Scott then slumps facedown onto the grass.
According to a police report, Slager told other officers Scott had taken his stun gun from him.
At no point in the video, which does not show the initial contact between the men, does Scott appear to be armed.
Slager is seen placing the victim in handcuffs as he lies on the ground, and then the officer walks back to a spot near where he opened fire.
Holding signs that read "The whole world is watching" and "Back turned, don't shoot," dozens of protesters in North Charleston said the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott on Saturday should not be viewed as an isolated incident.
"There is an atmosphere of racism in North Charleston, and we need to get rid of it," said Ramon Roane, 52, one of the speakers who gave examples of what they called unfair treatment by city police and leaders amid chants of "No more! No more!" by the crowd.
Police officer Michael Slager was charged on Tuesday with murder in the death of Scott, the latest among several shootings over the past year, including in New York, Ferguson, Missouri, Cleveland, Ohio and other places. The shootings have stirred debate across the United States about police use of lethal force and race relations, also drawing President Barack Obama into the discussion.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice are investigating Scott's shooting. Civil rights leaders have called for calm, and many people praised the courage of the witness who filmed the killing and gave the video to Scott's family.
"When I saw it, I fell to my feet and my heart was broken," Scott's father, Walter Scott Sr., said on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday.
Without the video, he said, "It would have never come to light. They would have swept it under the rug, like they did with so many others."
The shooting was the 11th involving a police officer in South Carolina this year and the second in North Charleston, said Thom Berry, spokesman for the state's law enforcement division. No one was injured in the prior incident in the city in January, he said.
Police said Saturday's shooting occurred after Slager, 33, who joined the department in 2009, stopped Scott for a broken brake light.
The video shows a brief scuffle between the pair before Scott begins to run away. Slager is then seen taking aim with a handgun before shooting eight times at Scott's back. Scott then slumps facedown onto the grass.
According to a police report, Slager told other officers Scott had taken his stun gun from him.
At no point in the video, which does not show the initial contact between the men, does Scott appear to be armed.
Slager is seen placing the victim in handcuffs as he lies on the ground, and then the officer walks back to a spot near where he opened fire.
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