Last year’s police killing of an unarmed African American man in the state of South Carolina was not justified even if the officer was provoked, prosecutors have said.
Michael Slager, 34, is accused of killing Walter Scott after a traffic stop in North Charleston in April 2015. Slager, who was later fired from the police force, shot Scott five times in the back as Scott was trying to flee.
The shooting video, captured on a bystander’s cell phone reignited a national debate over police use of deadly force against the people of color.
Prosecutors argue that Scott fled because he was afraid of being arrested for being behind on child support payments. Slager’s lawyers, however, put the blame on Scott himself for failing to follow the officer’s instructions.
Addressing jurors on Thursday at the murder trial of Scott, South Carolina prosecutor Scarlett Wilson acknowledged that Scott’s actions might have provoked Slager to pull out a gun, but the…