Bail approved for ex-officer charged in shooting death

A state judge approved bail Monday for a former S.C. police officer charged with killing an unarmed black motorist.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman in Charleston allowed a $500,000 surety bond for Michael Slager. Newman also set an Oct. 31 trial date.

Attorneys for Slager, who is white and charged with murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott last April, had said they would be ready for trial this spring.

However, prosecutor Scarlett Wilson also is prosecuting Dylann Roof, the white suspect in the killing of nine black parishioners at a Charleston church, in a July trial. She said a state Supreme Court order protects her from trying other cases before that one.

Slager, a former North Charleston police officer, is shown on cellphone video firing eight times as Scott ran from a traffic stop.

Attention over the case and the bystander’s cellphone video inflamed a national debate about how blacks are treated by white police officers.

Slager, 34, faces 30 years to life without parole if convicted. Wilson has said the death penalty doesn’t apply because there are no aggravating circumstances such as robbery or kidnapping.

In October, the city of North Charleston approved a $6.5 million civil settlement with Scott’s family.

After the shooting, the U.S. Justice Department said it was looking into possible federal civil rights violations in the case. On Friday, Wilson said federal officials have sent the state a letter saying that Slager could face charges.

“It’s unclear if they are going to get involved,” she said.