Black Motorist Death Case Still On Hold
The jury continues to drag the murder trial of a former South Carolina police officer who shot and killed a Black motorist, Walter Scott.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The jury in the murder trial of a white former South Carolina patrolman who shot an unarmed Black motorist saw a bystander’s dramatic cellphone video of the shooting frame by frame Tuesday, Fox News stated.
The video, which shows Walter Scott being shot five times in the back as he ran from a traffic stop, stunned the nation and was shared worldwide on the internet.
Former North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager faces 30 years to life if the jury hearing the trial agrees with the prosecution that Scott’s slaying was murder.
Week 3 of Michael Slager trial. Charged w/ murder after shooting unarmed Walter Scott in 2015. What’s delaying the trail now? @ABCNews4 pic.twitter.com/WNsGHQ5qBf
— Brodie Hart (@BrodieHart) November 16, 2016
Prosecution witness Anthony Imel, a forensic video analyst who works at the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, testified Monday and the jury was shown enhanced footage he made from the video taken the day the 50-year-old motorist was shot.
The prosecution, which is nearing the end of its case, also made available photo enlargements from the video portraying key moments of the struggle between the cop and the Black motorist.
On Tuesday, defense attorney Andy Savage asked Imel why photos of other important moments, including the confrontation between Slager and Scott, were not produced. Imel said he produced 418 still images from the video footage but not all were introduced into evidence by the prosecution.
The defense contends that Slager shot Scott after Scott wrestled with the officer and got control of his stun gun.
#Breaking The Latest: Defense begins case in black motorist death Read More : https://t.co/OT0ZC88uo2
— PoliticsNext (@PoliticsNext) November 16, 2016
All the video, including that which Imel enhanced, was introduced by the defense on Tuesday after sections of the video were played frame by frame. Savage said he wanted the jury to be able to see what was not presented Monday.
Later the prosecution had Imel instruct the jury on how to call up the video on a computer and said they could watch everything from the video at whatever speed they wanted during deliberations.
The prosecution has called 30 witnesses in the case and Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said the last prosecution witness was to be Bill Williams of Georgetown, South Carolina, who runs a company that performs video enhancement and does crime scene recreations.
The Latest on the trial of a former South Carolina police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist is stated in the below paragraphs, according to ABC News (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
A South Carolina judge has refused to dismiss the case against a white former patrolman charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed motorist.
The prosecution rested its case Wednesday in the trial of Michael Slager who is charged in the death of Walter Scott as Scott fled a traffic stop in April of 2015. Cellphone video of Scott being shot in the back was captured by a bystander and stunned the nation.
After the state rested, defense attorney Andy Savage asked Circuit Judge Clifton Newman to dismiss the case against his client. Savage argued that the prosecution had not shown there was malice on Slager’s part as required by South Carolina law.
But the judge ruled that the jury could infer malice from the fact that a deadly weapon was used and that the Black motorist, Scott was shot in the back.
4:15 p.m.
The prosecution has rested its case in the trial of a white former South Carolina patrolman charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist.
The final state witness on Wednesday was an investigator from the State Law Enforcement Division who recorded a 3-D computerized scan of the crime scene that was shown to the jury.
Earlier a state witness showed an animation of the shooting compiled from cellphone and dashcam video, police radio chatter and drone footage of the scene.
Former North Charleston Patrolman Michael Slager is charged with murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott as Scott fled from a traffic stop in April of 2015. The shooting was captured on dramatic cellphone video recorded by a bystander.
The prosecution rested after calling 32 witnesses over nine days.
10:50 a.m.
The jury in the trial of a white former South Carolina patrolman is seeing an animation of the shooting of Walter Scott.
Michael Slager is on trial for murder in the shooting death of Scott, an unarmed black motorist killed as he fled from a traffic stop in April of 2015. The shooting in North Charleston was captured on dramatic cellphone video that stunned the nation.
A state witness, Bill Williams, compiled the animation from the cellphone video as well as dashcam video, drone footage of the scene and police call audio. He said he spent 500 hours putting it together and was paid $15,000 by the state.
The defense attempted Tuesday to block the animation from being entered as evidence arguing that Williams lacked the formal training to be considered an expert in crime scene re-creation.
But Judge Anthony Newman ruled prosecutors could introduce the video.
3:20 a.m.
Jurors in the murder trial of a white former South Carolina patrolman who shot an unarmed black motorist will see an animation of the shooting before the prosecution rests its case.
Michael Slager is charged with murder in the April 2015 death of Walter Scott as the motorist fled a traffic stop. The shooting was captured on cellphone video.
The prosecution was expected to rest Tuesday, but lawyers spent much of the day arguing over the state’s final witness. The witness, Bill Williams, compiled the animation from cellphone and dashcam video, drone footage of the crime scene and police call audio.
The defense argued that Williams, who’s largely self-taught, didn’t qualify as an expert. Judge Clinton Newman ruled he could testify and jurors will see the animation Wednesday.
It’s been over a year already and the wheels of justice seem to be grinding slower than usual. It has almost become a norm in our justice system to purposefully delay trials which involve white folks who commit crime against Black people. It seems to be the new way to throw out such cases without prosecution.
