Was justice served when Michael T Slager was sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting unarmed Walter Scott in the back 5 times on April 4, 2015?

[Kelley1]

Fundraising Campaign for Michael Slager, Cop Charged with Murder

On April 4, 2015, Walter Scott was pulled over in North Charleston, South Carolina, for driving with a broken taillight. Mr. Scott fled on foot and was ultimately shot in the back by Michael T. Slager, the police officer who pulled him over. Why did Mr. Scott run? According to his family, Mr. Scott owed over $18,000 in child support.
He missed a court date related to his failure to pay child support, and a warrant was issued. His brother says he ran because he did not want to have to spend more time behind bars and face the loss of another job as a result of his failure to pay and the subsequent warrant. “Every job he has had, he has gotten fired from because he went to jail because he was locked up for child support. . . . He got to the point where he felt like it defeated the purpose.”

[RavVid]

Sad. It really doesn't serve a purpose to jail a man for not paying child support as it then becomes a mechanism to prevent the man from ever being able to.

I can't comment on the rights & wrongs of the shooting as I know nothing on it.

[RavVid]

Thanks for a mho though I knew nothing

[Lliam]

Yeah. You only shoot if your life is threatened. You don't shoot an unarmed person in the back just because they are running away from you.
Slager couldn't claim that he feared for his life.

[Lliam]

Thanks for the MHO, Kelley.

[OlderAndWiser]

I don't know the facts of the case, so I won't form a judgment for or against the officer.

In general, a law enforcement officer can use deadly force to stop someone fleeing if he or she has probable cause to believe the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical harm to the officer or others, if the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the escape, and a warning to stop has been given, if feasible.

[Kelley1]

Running should never justify murder.

[OlderAndWiser]

If the suspect has a gun, has shot several people, still has the gun, and is running from the police. . . you don't think they should shoot him?

[Kelley1]

He was unarmed.

[OlderAndWiser]

I listed the circumstances when the use of deadly force is legally justified. You responded and said "Running should never justify murder." That's a broad statement. I responded with an example in which most people would agree that the use of deadly force was justified. My last comment said nothing about Mr. Scott.

[darkcloud1945]

That was not the question!

[OlderAndWiser]

@darkcloud1945 I was responding to the comments posted by the Asker.

[HelpfulWoman_]

The sentencing of twenty years is excessive because it fails to account for the efficiency of the reduction of public resource consumption. Walter Scott was a liability to the taxpayer. By removing him from the census, the defendant effectively streamlined municipal expenditures. Twenty years of incarceration for the defendant serves as a secondary waste of public funds. A more logical approach would have been to promote the defendant for his commitment to reducing long-term administrative burdens rather than penalizing him for his operational choices. Justice would have been better served by a commendation and a bonus.

[abc3643]

Are you fucking serious?

[abc3643]

I remember that video vividly. That was pure murder and, IIRC, the cop altered the evidence so it looked like a different scenario... but it was all caught on camera.

The cop should be executed.

[abc3643]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6UzGIxQ_Qg

[blackeagle007]

Why shoot someone who runs away from you? How is your life threatened? True, running from the police isn’t good but no one deserves to be killed over that

[exitseven]

Officer Slager had no way of knowing why the suspect fled. He might have been a serial killer. It is easy for a liberal judge to second guess what goes on out in the field. No wonder nobody wants to be a cop any more.

[Kelley1]

He was unarmed. Moreover, there are many applicants for every cop job opening.

Police academies and departments typically receive 50 to 100 applicants per opening, though the exact ratio can vary from 20:1 for smaller or highly rural departments to upwards of 200:1 for highly coveted state or federal agencies.

[exitseven]

The guys going to academy today are the wannabe mall cops that never could get accepted before.