Tuesday, June 09, 2015

SC officer indicted for murder in killing of traffic stop suspect who fled


A S.C. officer was indicted for murder for the April slaying of Walter Scott who was apparently unarmed and shot in the back while fleeing from a traffic stop.  This is perhaps the most egregious and disturbing incident of police use of deadly force ever/yet  caught on video.  For an officer to be indicted for murder of a suspect is nearly as rare as hen's teeth.  According to the New York Times;

Under South Carolina law, there is only a single murder charge, which Ms. Wilson described as being an “unlawful killing with malice aforethought” — with the premeditation required to exist for only a few seconds before a killing in order to gain a conviction.
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Mr. Slager was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge on Monday in connection with an April 4 shooting. Credit Charleston County Detention Center
“As long as malice is proven in the heart and mind, the state has proven its case,” she said.
The case was presented to the grand jury on Monday morning, and the panel returned the indictment within a few hours."
 
However, the judge or jury may ultimately find him guilty of some lesser-included offense such as some form of manslaughter or reckless homicide.
 

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