White police officer, Michael Slager, shot unarmed black man Walter Scott several times in North Charleston in the U.S on Saturday.
The charge happened yesterday after video footage caught on a mobile phone by an unidentified member of the public emerged.The footage shows Officer Slager shooting at Mr Scott’s back numerous times. Slager then approaches Mr Scott and tells him to put his hands behind his back and cuffs him.
Slager was fired and arrested by South Carolina police and charged with murder.
The city mayor Kieth Summey said that Officer Slager’s charge was prompted by the video. Slager claims he was acting in self defence.
Scott’s father, Walter Scott Senior after seeing the video: “it looked like he was trying to kill a deer running through the woods”.
Chris Stewart, attorney for the victims family said: “This was a cop who thought he could get away with shooting a person that many times in the back, it speaks to the value of human life”.
This shooting is the latest in a string of shootings of unarmed black men that have caused allegations of police racism.