Bx Assemblyman Commends Swift Action In S.C. Police Shooting

In a brief email statement this morning, Bronx Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda commended the City of North Charleston, South Carolina and its Mayor, Keith Summey, for bringing murder charges against the officer involved in the shooting death of a fleeing, unarmed black man.

“The violent and unprovoked [police] shooting of Walter L. Scott is another reminder of the injustice we have seen far too often in this country lately. Fortunately in this case, a brave man filmed the incident showing the gross injustice that resulted in the death of Mr. Scott,” said Sepulveda.

The New York Times reported that Michael T. Slager, 33, a white police officer in North Charleston, S.C., was charged with murder on Tuesday after a video surfaced showing Slager shooting and killing an apparently unarmed Walter Scott in the back as Scott ran away from him.

News reports say Slager claimed he had feared for his life because the man had taken his stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop last Saturday. A cellphone video, however, shows the officer firing eight times as the man, Walter L. Scott, 50, fled. The North Charleston mayor announced the state charges at a news conference Tuesday evening.

“This is a stark difference from what we saw in other cases around the country, including those in New York, and gives even more reason to keep moving forward with those much needed criminal justice reforms around the country,” said Assemblyman Sepulveda.

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