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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 3 May 2017

South Carolina ex-officer pleads guilty in man’s slaying

quietly answer the judge’s ten use deadly force un-
questions. Several of Scott’s necessarily against black
relatives sat in the front row people.
in the gallery as the pros- When the jury failed to
ecutor read a bare-bones reach a verdict in the mur-
description of the shoot- der case in December,
ing. One of them closed his many black people and
eyes tightly, while another others were shocked and
hung his head. distressed, because the
Slager, who has been out video seemed to some to
on bail for much of the time be an open-and-shut case.
since the shooting, was led Some despaired of ever
away in handcuffs as the seeing justice.
family looked on. The plea agreement made
“God never fails,” Scott’s no mention of race but
Judy Scott, mother of Walter Scott, who was killed by former Po- mother, Judy Scott, said said Slager used deadly
lice Officer Michael Slager in 2015, speaks after the plea hear- outside court. force knowing that it was
ing held for Slager, in Charleston, S.C., Tuesday, May 2, 2017. The The chilling video helped “unnecessary and exces-
white former police officer, whose killing of the unarmed black fuel the Black Lives Matter sive, and therefore unrea-
man running from a traffic stop was captured on cellphone vid- movement that emerged sonable under the circum-
eo, pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal civil rights charges that around the 2014 police stances.”
could send him to prison for decades.
(Leroy Burnell/The Post And Courier via AP) killing of Michael Brown in The state prosecutor who
Ferguson, Missouri. It was pursued the murder charg-
JEFFREY COLLINS murder case. seized on by many as viv- es, Solicitor Scarlett Wilson,
MEG KINNARD Slager admitted violating id proof of what they had said in a statement that she
Associated Press Scott’s civil rights by shoot- been arguing for years: is satisfied with the case’s
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — ing him without justifica- that white officers too of- resolution. q
A white former police offi- tion. He could get up to
cer whose killing of an un- life in prison and a $250,000
armed black man running fine at sentencing, though
from a traffic stop was cap- prosecutors agreed to ask
tured on cellphone video for more than 20 years be-
pleaded guilty Tuesday to hind bars. No sentencing
federal civil rights charges date was set.
that could send him to pris- A bystander’s grainy video
on for decades. of the shooting, viewed
The plea from Michael millions of times online,
Slager, 35, came five showed the 50-year-old
months after a jury dead- motorist breaking away
locked on state murder after struggling with Slager
charges against him in over the officer’s Taser.
the 2015 shooting of Wal- Slager then began firing at
ter Scott. South Carolina Scott’s back from 17 feet
prosecutors had planned away. Five of eight bullets
to retry Slager, but as part hit him.N The former North
of Tuesday’s plea bargain, Charleston officer spoke
they agreed to drop the little in court except to

AP Sources: Justices will not

charge Baton Rouge officers

S. GURMAN store where he was selling
M. KUNZELMAN homemade CDs.
Associated Press A person familiar with the
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) decision disclosed it to the
— The U.S. Justice Depart- AP on Tuesday. The person
ment has decided not to was not authorized to talk
charge two white Baton publicly about the decision
Rouge police officers in and spoke to the AP on
the death of a black man condition of anonymity.
whose fatal shooting was The department’s decision
captured on cellphone doesn’t preclude state au-
video, fueling protests in thorities from conducting
Louisiana’s capital and their own investigation and
beyond, The Associated pursuing their own criminal
Press has learned. Federal charges. Two cellphone
authorities opened a civil videos of Sterling’s deadly
rights investigation imme- struggle with two white
diately after the July 2016 officers, Blane Salamoni
police shooting that killed and Howie Lake II, quickly
37-year-old Alton Sterling spread on social media af-
outside a convenience ter the July 5 shooting.q