The former South Carolina police officer caught on video opening fire at a black man who was running away pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal civil rights charge, authorities said.The victim, Walter Scott, comes from a Longshoring family in Charleston, S.C., and has several relatives in ILA Local 1422.
Michael Slager, who worked for the North Charleston Police Department, had faced federal civil rights and state murder charges in the April 2015 shooting of Walter Scott, a 50-year-old unarmed motorist who fled after a traffic stop. Slager pleaded guilty to a single federal civil rights charge — which his attorney described as “using excessive force” — as part of a deal to resolve both cases.
Slager could face life in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000 on the civil rights charge. His sentence will be determined later.
