CHARLESTON, South Carolina: Dramatic video that shows a white South Carolina police officer shooting a fleeing black man has led authorities to file a murder charge against the officer amid public outrage over a series of deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of US law enforcement agents.
Protests erupted in South Carolina over the fatal shooting.
The video, provided to the dead man’s family and lawyer by an unidentified person, shows officer Michael Thomas Slager firing eight shots at the back of Walter Lamer Scott as Scott runs away. The 50-year-old man falls after the eighth shot, fired after a brief pause.
The shooting in North Charleston, South Carolina’s third-largest city, comes amid an ongoing nationwide debate over issues of trust between law enforcement and minority communities.
Meanwhile, reports said two black candidates were elected to the Ferguson City Council, tripling African-American representation in the St. Louis suburb where poor race relations have been a focal point since a white police officer shot and killed an unarmed black man.
The election means that half of the six-member city council in Ferguson, a town where two-thirds of the 21,000 residents are black, will now be African-American. The lone black incumbent councilman was not up for re-election. The mayor, who could break any tie votes, is white. Despite stormy weather, voter turnout increased substantially from the previous election following a strong get-out-the-vote effort. The town that drew only 12.3 percent of registered voters last April had 29.4 percent turnout Tuesday. That was about double the overall turnout in St. Louis County.
Voting at the First Presbyterian Church of Ferguson, Charrolynn Washington said the election is where real change will begin.
“As much change is needed here in Ferguson, this is where we begin — not out there in the streets, doing what they were doing — but, right here,” Washington said. “They need to be voting and putting people in position to make the change and make the decisions that need to be made.”
Unofficial results showed that Wesley Bell defeated another black candidate to win in the 3rd Ward. Ella Jones defeated another black candidate and two white candidates in the 1st Ward. Brian Fletcher, a white former mayor, won a 2nd Ward race against another white candidate.
“This community came out in record numbers to make sure our voices were heard,” said councilman-elect Bell, calling the election part of a healing and rebuilding process. It was the first municipal election since officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Michael Brown on Aug. 9. The shooting sparked sometimes violent protests and spawned a national movement to press for change in how police deal with minorities. A St. Louis County grand jury decided not to indict Wilson.
The U.S. Justice Department also decided not to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November. But the department faulted the city for racial bias and profiling in the police department and a profit-driven municipal court system, prompting several city officials to resign.
Protests erupt after black man shot dead
