Family, friends remember Walter Scott

A Dallas Cowboys flag adorned Walter Scott’s casket Friday for a visitation at the historic Fielding Home for Funerals in downtown Charleston.

The unarmed black man was shot and killed by a white North Charleston police officer last weekend.

Scott will be buried Saturday after a funeral service that U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, and state Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston, are expected to attend.

At Friday’s funeral-home visitation, Scott was remembered as someone who loved his family and friends.

James Singleton said he has known the Scott family for years. The 67-year-old resident of North Charleston, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, said he and Scott often would joke about how well their favorite NFL teams were doing during the football season.

“I’m going to tell him a Cowboys joke when I get in there,” Singleton said, outside the funeral home. “It’s a hurtful feeling, but he is still in (the Scott family’s) heart. He isn’t gone, his spirit is still here.”

Last Saturday, Scott, 50, was stopped by North Charleston Police Department Patrolman 1st Class Michael Slager for having a broken taillight on the vehicle he was driving.

A dash-cam video from Slager’s patrol car, released by the State Law Enforcement Division, shows Scott fleeing to a nearby plot of private property. Slager chased, firing eight shots at Scott several blocks from the traffic stop, striking him in the back five times.

A passer-by recorded the shooting, catching Scott’s final moments on tape. After the video’s release, Slager was charged with murder and fired from the Police Department.

When Scott’s mother called to tell him that Scott had been shot, she said: “The police killed my boy,” Singleton said Friday.

“I hollered out on the phone,” Singleton added. “I said, ‘Oh, Lord no.’ I had to catch myself. It hurt a lot of people.

“But the dude who had the tape, I’m glad he had that tape. It showed what really went down.”

Zaheerah Shakir, who lives in Charleston, said she came to the visitation to show her respects to a future family member that she never got the chance to know. Shakir said she is the mother-in-law of Scott’s would-be fiancee.

“I would have met (the Scotts) at the wedding, which would have been happier,” Shakir said. “Now, I’ll have to meet them at the funeral.”

Cynthia Mack, 54, came to the visitation to see the cousin she shared so many family reunions with at James Island County Park. Mack and her 30-year-old daughter, Haqika Lloyd, said Scott was someone who always was a joy to be around.

“He had a good heart and was a good person,” Mack said. “We grew up together and did slumber parties at their house.”

Mack said the family reunions included activities for children, frying chicken and eating crab legs. Now, some of those traditions will be in memory of her cousin.

Keysha Brown, of West Ashley, said she has known the Scott family for at least 20 years. Brown, whose mother lives down the road from Scott’s mother, said she last saw Scott about two months ago.

“He was a fun person and loved to be around people,” Brown said.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley attended Friday’s visitation but, out of respect for Scott’s family, will not attend Saturday’s funeral.

“My sense is the family is looking for privacy, and I thought the most dignified and appropriate way ... was to quietly come on behalf of my citizens and pay my respects,” Riley said. “It’s something we will never forget. But time allows us to cope with the grief and look for and work for a brighter day.”

Gov. Nikki Haley also will not attend Saturday’s services. But several members of her staff will be there.

“Gov. Haley spoke to Mr. Scott’s family, and that’s where she believes the focus should be – on lifting them up in prayer and healing,” a spokeswoman said Friday.

Funeral services for Scott will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center in Summerville and are open to the public. Burial will be at Live Oak Memorial Garden at 3093 Ashley River Road, according to Fielding employees.

They added there will be a police escort for Saturday’s funeral procession, provided by the North Charleston Police Department.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Family, friends remember Walter Scott."