N. Charleston ex-officer to plead guilty in Walter Scott shooting and avoid state murder trial
A plea deal has been reached and former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager, accused of federal civil rights violations in the 2015 shooting death of Walter Scott, is to plead guilty today at a 2:30 p.m. hearing in Charleston, according to multiple sources familiar with the case.
As part of the deal, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson has agreed to drop pending state murder charges against Slager, sources said.
Shortly before noon Tuesday, a statement about Slager was released by the office of Andy Savage, one of his lawyers.
“This afternoon Michael Slager will enter a guilty plea to using excessive force in violation of 18 USC Section 242 as he attempted to arrest Walter Scott on April 4, 2015.
“We hope that Michael’s acceptance of responsibility will help the Scott family as they continue to grieve their loss.
“As a sentencing date has not yet been determined, we will refrain from further comment at this time,” the statement said.
Slager, 35, who was fired after a viral video emerged days after the shooting, was slated to go on trial in Charleston later this month for federal charges of civil rights violations and obstruction of justice. If found guilty in a trial, he could have been sentenced to up to life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
A guilty plea would avoid a federal trial. Moreover, people who plead guilty nearly always get a lesser sentence than if a jury were to find him guilty after a trial. If Slager pleads today, he will not be sentenced until later. He will likely face a stint in federal prison – widely regarded as a more desirable alternative than a sentence in state prison.
Slager’s shooting of Scott, as Scott was some 20 feet away and apparently fleeing, was caught on a cell phone video by a passer-by and, within days, was played repeatedly on national television news shows and state media Internet sites.
Since Scott, who was not armed, was at some distance from Slager, and obviously running away, it was perhaps the most shocking of all police shooting videos shown on television in the past few years. Millions viewed the video, which showed Slager bracing his Glock pistol with two hands and shooting at Scott as if he, Slager, were at a target range.
The video helped spark a national conversation about the use of deadly force and the shooting of black suspects by white officers. Slager is white; Scott, who was 50, is black.
A five-week trial in December in state court Charleston on murder charges resulted in a mistrial due to a hung jury.
According to an order issued by U.S. Judge David Norton, jury selection for Slager’s upcoming federal trial is to begin in Columbia on May 9 at the Matthew Perry federal courthouse.
Slager’s federal trial is slated to begin May 15 at the Charleston federal courthouse in downtown Charleston.
Specifically, Slager is charged with a civil rights violation for taking Scott’s life without legal justification, with the use of a weapon during a crime of violence and obstruction of justice. A May 2016 indictment also alleges obstruction of justice, charging that Slager “knowingly misled State Law Enforcement Division investigators by falsely stating that he (Slager) fired his weapon at Scott while Scott weas coming forward at him with a Taser.”
The indictment continued, “In fact, as defendant Michael Slager then well knew, he (Slager) repeatedly fired his weapon at Scott when Scott was running away from him.”
Federal officials declined comment Monday night and Tuesday morning. But indications were that they were preparing a press release.
This story was originally published May 1, 2017 at 6:46 PM with the headline "N. Charleston ex-officer to plead guilty in Walter Scott shooting and avoid state murder trial."