South Carolina Cop Charged with Murder

[GoldenToTheGrave]

That only happened in Roy Rogers/Hopalong Cassidy movies. Marshall Dillon dispatched 'em to Boot Hill with a single shot. Hollywood.

Watch any cop show today and they're more realistic in that regard. Center of mass and fire till the threat is gone.

True, which is why you never shoot unless you fear for your life and fully intend on taking the life of the person you're shooting at. In the Michael Brown case we'll never know what really happened. This guy was shot down like a dog and this cop is absolutely a murderer IMO.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Also, he appeared to plant the taser at the body.

 

[phgreek]

Dirty. Cop.

Need these guys wearing body cams...to protect the good ones and deter the bad ones.

I Love this guy got filmed...I'd guess he is TOAST!

 

[SaltyND24]

Also, he appeared to plant the taser at the body.

That was just discussed on the news out here in Cali. News anchor said that in the video, the cop went back and picked up what is believed to be the taser, and dropped it by the body of the victim. This shit is beyond insane and as many others have stated, things like these are why many people feel this way towards cops and that it's so counterproductive.

 

[dublinirish]

dude is looking at life in prison/death penalty right?

 

[dublinirish]

True, which is why you never shoot unless you fear for your life and fully intend on taking the life of the person you're shooting at. In the Michael Brown case we'll never know what really happened. This guy was shot down like a dog and this cop is absolutely a murderer IMO.

never understand why cops who are trained in shooting can't just shoot a guy in the legs to take him down :/

 

[Irish#1]

The key to this entire situation isn't the failure to obey the cop, or the attempt to take the policeman's taser. It's not even the policeman shooting him. It's that he fired 8 times! One time would have been more than enough. The guy is running away, has no weapon and isn't trying to attack you.

If he hadn't shot more than once I'm not sure he would have been arrested for murder.

Maybe policemen getting charged with murder will make the over-zealous ones think before drawing their weapon.

 

[IrishinSyria]

The key to this entire situation isn't the failure to obey the cop, or the attempt to take the policeman's taser. It's not even the policeman shooting him. It's that he fired 8 times! One time would have been more than enough. The guy is running away, has no weapon and isn't trying to attack you.

If he had shot once I'm not sure he would have been arrested for murder.

Maybe policemen getting charged with murder will make the over-zealous ones think before drawing their weapon.

While I understand the moral intuition behind this, it doesn't comport with how police are trained. If something's worth shooting, it's worth killing.

 

[NDdomer2]

Obviously I know this is legit live footage. But it just all seems so staged to me somehow.

 

[dublinirish]

While I understand the moral intuition behind this, it doesn't comport with how police are trained. If something's worth shooting, it's worth killing.

surely there has to be some sort of alternate action when the person you are shooting is not a threat and is running away from you :/

 

[GoIrish41]

This crazy sociopathic behavior by police has to stop. And, I know it is not all police or even most police. But, it happens enough that it should be plainly obvious that it is a major problem. If not for that video and the person who caught it on his/her cell phone, that cop would have gotten away with this crime. That is the reality. I am happy to see that nobody is defending this lunatic ... I wish that was the case far more frequently when these horrible incidents happen. There is no place in our society for this kind of criminal violence against citizens, no matter if they are or are not caught by a cell phone camera.

 

[dales5050]

This crazy sociopathic behavior by police has to stop. And, I know it is not all police or even most police. But, it happens enough that it should be plainly obvious that it is a major problem. If not for that video and the person who caught it on his/her cell phone, that cop would have gotten away with this crime. That is the reality. I am happy to see that nobody is defending this lunatic ... I wish that was the case far more frequently when these horrible incidents happen. There is no place in our society for this kind of criminal violence against citizens, no matter if they are or are not caught by a cell phone camera.

First off, this cop in South Carolina needs to find a nice warm chair. I would have no problem seeing his days end. That was straight up murder.

Secondly, I think it would be correct to say as a society 'crazy sociopathic behavior' has to stop. The problem with people like you is you only choose to look at one side of the issue. It's a massive spectrum of stuff that's wrong.

The reason why people are treating this situation differently than others is it's a clear right v. wrong. Only someone with an agenda or lacking the capacity to think for themselves looks at similar situations in a clear cut black and white view. You seem to be one of these people.

What you really should be saying is there should be no place in our society for violence against anyone. But you don't.

For whatever reason, gang bangers lighting each other up does not seem to bring the same outrage as a police officer murdering a citizen. Why is that? It's pretty pathetic.

 

[PANDFAN]

Ole Miss player tweets about police shooting death of 'my stepdad' Walter Scott - SBNation.com

 

[TheTurningPoint]

In the NY Times video, they slow it down when the shooter approaches the victim and the other cop....the shooter appears to drop a taser by the body in a casual fashion. He may have been just dropping it for the hell of it, but he sure looks like he is planting it. Might be just my observation, but I cant think of any reason why would drop a taser by the body.

Just a horrible situation all the way around. Prayers to both families as the deal with this.

 

[IrishLax]

For whatever reason, gang bangers lighting each other up does not seem to bring the same outrage as a police officer murdering a citizen. Why is that? It's pretty pathetic.

I don't want to speak for GoIrish41, but the key difference is that law enforcement officers are empowered by the locality/state/country to enforce laws and protect the citizens. Gang bangers are expected to commit crimes. That's why no one freak out about a criminal acting like a criminal... but when someone sworn and paid to uphold the laws of the land apparently murders someone, it's jarring.

 

[NDdomer2]

"people like you" lol

 

[ND NYC]

random thoughts:
he definitely plants that taser
cant believe they are cuffing the guy while he is bleeding out face down on the ground. wtf?
that cop may be better off getting the death penalty-he'll never survive behind bars.
this is straight up murder-no spin or rationale can or will justify this one.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Wow.

Police shoot man in the back: Who was Walter Scott?

By Holly Yan, CNN

(CNN)—The world learned his name after he was killed by a South Carolina police officer.

But in his life, 50-year-old Walter Scott was also the father of four children and served in the Coast Guard, his brother said.

"He was outgoing -- loved everybody, (was) very known in the community and got along with everybody," brother Anthony Scott told CNN's Don Lemon. "All the family loves him, and his kids loved him."

It's unclear why Walter Scott decided to run away from Officer Michael Slager after a traffic stop Saturday morning. Anthony Scott said his brother had had trouble with child support, but that he wasn't prone to violence.

According to a police report, Scott did not comply with an officer's demands and tried to take Slager's stun gun.

Slager fired eight shots at Scott, striking him in the back. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Regardless of why Walter Scott ran, "running from an officer doesn't result in the death penalty," family attorney Chris Stewart said.

The officer has been charged with murder -- a charge that might not have come about if not for a bystander's video of the shooting.

Anthony Scott said he watched the video, which has traumatized the family.

"When I saw that video for the first time, my family was deeply hurt that someone would gun down a human being in that way," the brother said. "We just couldn't believe it."

 

[dales5050]

I don't want to speak for GoIrish41, but the key difference is that law enforcement officers are empowered by the locality/state/country to enforce laws and protect the citizens. Gang bangers are expected to commit crimes. That's why no one freak out about a criminal acting like a criminal... but when someone sworn and paid to uphold the laws of the land apparently murders someone, it's jarring.

True.

Don't get me wrong. Law Enforcement in the US needs a complete overhaul. The ranks are filled with everything from incompetent officers to those who simply do not have the disposition for the position.

But to your comment that gang bangers are expected to commit crimes...that does not mean those crimes should not get the same attention. In fact, I think the issue needs more attention. The gang on gang <> poor on poor crime in the US is simply out of control.

As before, my point is if you look at this just from one side you're not going to accomplish anything. It's nothing more than hot air. It's a waste of time. It's an exercise for those who feel like they need to show social outrage without actually doing something.

If you actually want to fix these issues...you have to be able to look at the whole picture. You have to look at both sides and identify EVERYTHING that's wrong..not just what fits your personal opinions or the narrative you want to take.


To your last point...'that's why no one freak out about a criminal acting like a criminal'...this is the issue. To me, what you're saying is a life killed by a police officer is worth more than a life killed by a gang member. A 50 year old man murdered by a police officer is somehow more important than a 50 year old man murdered by a gang member. That's just simply wrong.

Until everyone takes on responsibility with the issue. Until everyone values each life the same. Nothing of significance is going to change.

 

[NDdomer2]

To your last point...'that's why no one freak out about a criminal acting like a criminal'...this is the issue. To me, what you're saying is a life killed by a police officer is worth more than a life killed by a gang member. A 50 year old man murdered by a police officer is somehow more important than a 50 year old man murdered by a gang member. That's just simply wrong.
.

This is not what he said tho. He said a 50 yo law abiding citizen murdered by a cop is different than a 50 yo lifetime criminal being killed by a lifetime criminal.

Just like you criticized someone else for looking at it from only the POV of "people like him". You are looking at this from only your POV and "just what fits your personal opinions or the narrative you want to take."

 

[GoldenDomer]

I want this officer to get the death penalty by firing squad.

 

[Domina Nostra]

What does this prove? THE COP WAS CHARGED WITH MURDER. It looks like murder, and he was charged accordingly. Seems like the system is working, unless you think no policeman would ever abuse his power or kill anyone in a working system.

The issue is not that "conservatives" don't think Police ever abuse their power. Everyone knows they do!

The issue is always whether the police abused their power in THIS PARTICULAR CASE. Conservatives did not feel like their was sufficient evidence to assume that the Ferguson police officer had acted illegally. If the evidence is clear here, very few will come rushing to his defense.

The bigger problem is that people want to make every individual case into proof of a nationwide epidemic. But its not clear that isolated incidents are always representative of some larger issue. We have a country of 300,000,000 and some pretty tough neighborhoods. Some bad crap is going to go down. Its always going to be pretty easy to string together a bunch of disconnected events and call them a trend that supports your particular theory.

 

[IrishInFl]

Am I the only one that assumes that if he were to be convicted of murder that he'll probably be killed in prison anyway? I'm not sure how long a dude who arrested people would survive.

 

[GoIrish41]

First off, this cop in South Carolina needs to find a nice warm chair. I would have no problem seeing his days end. That was straight up murder.

Secondly, I think it would be correct to say as a society 'crazy sociopathic behavior' has to stop. The problem with people like you is you only choose to look at one side of the issue. It's a massive spectrum of stuff that's wrong.

The reason why people are treating this situation differently than others is it's a clear right v. wrong. Only someone with an agenda or lacking the capacity to think for themselves looks at similar situations in a clear cut black and white view. You seem to be one of these people.

What you really should be saying is there should be no place in our society for violence against anyone. But you don't.

For whatever reason, gang bangers lighting each other up does not seem to bring the same outrage as a police officer murdering a citizen. Why is that? It's pretty pathetic.

People like me are tired of people like you suggesting that a cop killing a guy in cold blood is anything like a gang banger doing the same thing. Of course there is no place in our society for violence against anyone (there, happy?) But until that day comes, we pay cops to keep us safe -- to protect and to serve. When they commit a horrible crime like the one caught in the video, they ARE what we are paying them to protect us against.

The only reason that people are treating this differently is because the video that was captured by a bystander makes it completely clear that the cop was committing a crime. His actions in the video are absolutely indefensible, even to those who come to the defense of guys like George Zimmerman, and the guys who choked the man to death in New York, or the guys who guned down the boy in Cleveland! If that bystander didn't film this crime, that cop would still be being defended as "justified" instead of preparing to get the shit beat out of him in prison for the rest of his life. This happens far too much, and it should not take indisputible video evidence for something to be done about the pattern of violence committed by cops. And I know that it isn't all cops -- probably a very small percentage. But what needs to change is the environment in police stations across this country that allows this kind of crap to happen. Cops should absolutely be held to a higher standard, but instead they systematically use there positions to protect their own, instead of citizens.

 

[Irish#1]

While I understand the moral intuition behind this, it doesn't comport with how police are trained. If something's worth shooting, it's worth killing.

The primary reason a police officer carries a gun is to protect themselves, not kill something. In a situation like this where there was no weapon being pointed at the officer, a shot to the leg or butt would have been more than sufficient. Yet in reality given that this was a traffic stop, chase him or radio for help instead of shooting. You have his vehicle. It's not like you couldn't figure out who this guy is and arrest him later.

Why is there no outrage when gang bangers kill each other? Just spit ballin' here, but my guess is as a society most people figure those types don't care who they hurt to get what they want, so if there is one less on the earth, the better off we are.

 

[Irish Insanity]

People like me are tired of people like you suggesting that a cop killing a guy in cold blood is anything like a gang banger doing the same thing. Of course there is no place in our society for violence against anyone (there, happy?) But until that day comes, we pay cops to keep us safe -- to protect and to serve. When they commit a horrible crime like the one caught in the video, they ARE what we are paying them to protect us against.

The only reason that people are treating this differently is because the video that was captured by a bystander makes it completely clear that the cop was committing a crime. His actions in the video are absolutely indefensible, even to those who come to the defense of guys like George Zimmerman, and the guys who choked the man to death in New York, or the guys who guned down the boy in Cleveland! If that bystander didn't film this crime, that cop would still be being defended for "justified" instead of preparing to get the shit beat out of him in prison for the rest of his life. This happens far too much, and it should not take indisputible video evidence for something to be done about the pattern of violence committed by cops. And I know that it isn't all cops -- probably a very small percentage. But what needs to change is the environment in police stations across this country that allows this kind of crap to happen. Cops should absolutely be held to a higher standard, but instead they systematically use there positions to protect their own, instead of citizens.

Needed repeating. Phenomenal post.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

People like me are tired of people like you suggesting that a cop killing a guy in cold blood is anything like a gang banger doing the same thing. Of course there is no place in our society for violence against anyone (there, happy?) But until that day comes, we pay cops to keep us safe -- to protect and to serve. When they commit a horrible crime like the one caught in the video, they ARE what we are paying them to protect us against.

The only reason that people are treating this differently is because the video that was captured by a bystander makes it completely clear that the cop was committing a crime. His actions in the video are absolutely indefensible, even to those who come to the defense of guys like George Zimmerman, and the guys who choked the man to death in New York, or the guys who guned down the boy in Cleveland! If that bystander didn't film this crime, that cop would still be being defended as "justified" instead of preparing to get the shit beat out of him in prison for the rest of his life. This happens far too much, and it should not take indisputible video evidence for something to be done about the pattern of violence committed by cops. And I know that it isn't all cops -- probably a very small percentage. But what needs to change is the environment in police stations across this country that allows this kind of crap to happen. Cops should absolutely be held to a higher standard, but instead they systematically use there positions to protect their own, instead of citizens.

Interesting take...how would it be reported if there was no video?

Here's A News Report We'd Be Reading If Walter Scott's Killing Wasn't On Video

 

[Circa]

Obviously I know this is legit live footage. But it just all seems so staged to me somehow.

Had the same thought. Very odd set of circumstances.

 

[GoIrish41]

Interesting take...how would it be reported if there was no video?

Here's A News Report We'd Be Reading If Walter Scott's Killing Wasn't On Video

Sounds about right. Not unlike many that I've read in similar circumstances. How many of those reports would be different if there was video?

 

[ND NYC]

would like see copy of this cops report which he filed before he knew someone was taping him.