Will There Be Justice For Walter Scott?

Well, it has happened again.  Another unarmed Black man is shot dead at the hands of a White police officer.  I am so tired of seeing these stories in the news over and over again.  The characters are always the same.  There’s the officer who supposedly feared for his life and had no other alternative but to fire his weapon … repeatedly … until the threat was removed.  Then, there’s the unarmed man (someone’s son, father, husband, uncle, friend, or neighbor) left dead and yet somehow made responsible for his own demise.  And let’s not forget the mother, father, or parental figure whose heart-breaking words and tears kick you right in the gut every time you see them.  I always cry right along with them.

When things like this happen, I find myself reviewing news sites and reading articles or blog posts on social media.  Every time, I get sucked in to reading the comments section.  And every single time, I find myself angered by some of the comments made about the victim.  He’s always a thug or a criminal.  He was guilty of something and had it coming to him.  He would be alive if he would have just listened to and obeyed the officer.  Rarely is the victim given the benefit of the doubt.  Rarely is any kind of sympathy extended to the victim or the family that’s left behind.  Rarely do you hear of the good the victim has done … only the bad things he’s ACCUSED of doing.

This latest shooting took place in my home state of South Carolina.  The officer, Michael Slager, shot Walter Scott in the back eight times.  Let me repeat that … EIGHT TIMES.  Scott was running away from Slager when the officer drew his weapon and fired eight shots.  Scott’s back was to the officer.  He was running AWAY from the officer.  Yeah, that’s threatening.

The entire incident started because the officer pulled Mr. Scott over for a broken tail light.  When he ran Scott’s information, the officer discovered Scott had a warrant for unpaid child support.  What happened after that is unclear, but somehow these two ended up outside of their vehicles.  Slager was left standing, and an unarmed Scott was shot dead.

The only fortunate thing about this incident is that there was a bystander who had the presence of mind to videotape this encounter between Slager and Scott.  The officer alleged Walter Scott was the aggressor and tried to take his taser.  What the video shows is Slager and Scott standing facing each other, Scott turning to run away, and the officer reaching for his gun and then standing flat-footed like he’s at target practice on the firing range as he shot Walter Scott eight times in the back.  This video makes it extremely difficult for police or federal investigators to clear Slager of any wrongdoing … but I guess time will tell.  In the meantime, Slager is in jail on murder charges and denied bond.  In jail … exactly where he should be.

I guess it’s obvious that I’m stuck on Mr. Scott being shot in the back eight times.  There was absolutely no reason and no excuse to justify Slager shooting Walter Scott in the back eight times.  EIGHT DAMN TIMES!!!

I was reading some of the comments on a couple of news sites since this story broke yesterday.  Over and over again, I saw people asking the same questions and making the same remarks concerning Mr. Scott and his role in his own death.

·         Why was he running away from the officer?  Innocent people don’t run from the police.  (Maybe innocent people don’t run the police, but scared people do.)

·         Sorry he died, but if he had done what the officer told him to do, he would still be alive.  (Correction … if the officer had done what HE was supposed to do, Walter Scott would still be alive.)

·         Why is this about race?  Guy does something wrong, he tried to take the officer’s taser, so he gets shot.  Sounds legit to me.  Case closed.  (When did driving around with a busted tail light justify murder?  And check the video.  Scott didn’t have the taser before Slager left it laying next to Scott after shooting him.)

·         He was a thug.  (Read … n-word.  Thug is just a code word.)

·         Was the car that he [Scott] was driving stolen?  (Ahhh … no!  If it had been, don’t you think the story would have a new spin … car thief shot dead by officer?)

·         He should have paid the child support and not run.  (Sure, Scott should have paid his child support.  But when did being delinquent in making payments become just cause for murder?)

·         There’s more to the story than we know.  Surely, the guy did SOMETHING wrong.  (Let’s see.  What did he do to provoke the officer to shoot him?  Was it the busted tail light or was it when he attempted to run away from the officer?)

·         He was probably a drug dealer.  (Sure.  Of course, he was.  All Black men are.  Right?)

When it comes to White officers killing Black men, why are some people so quick to blame the VICTIM for his own death?  Why do they automatically assume the VICTIM did something wrong?  Is it that difficult to believe that these cops overreacted because the VICTIM is a Black male … a boogey man … the aggressor … a thug?

Instead of questioning the victim, why don’t we question the motives of the officer?  I’ve got a few questions I would like to ask Michael Slager.

·         Why did you lie?  You alleged Walter Scott tried to take your taser, but the video clearly shows you dropping it beside his lifeless body after your fatal encounter.  So … you’re okay with planting evidence to bolster your fabricated version of the events that took place?

·         You showed no remorse after shooting a man eight times as he ran away from you.  To make yourself look even worse, you took the time to handcuff a dying man as he lay face down in the grass.  Are you even sorry this happened or am I safe to assume you are sorry someone videoed the whole thing and you got caught?

·         How does a routine traffic stop for a busted taillight escalate to you shooting an unarmed man in the back eight times?

·         Walter Scott was a 50 year-old man.  From the video footage, it is clear he was not a well-conditioned track star.  If you were going to make an arrest for an outstanding warrant, you couldn’t give chase after he turned to run from you?  You couldn’t call for backup before shooting and killing him?  You had his information with a physical address after the traffic stop.  You couldn’t go to Scott’s home to make an arrest later if he did manage to run away for you?

·         You shot an unarmed man eight times in the back as he ran AWAY from you.  Why?  Did you feel you would be able to get away with it like so many other police officers in the very recent news, or are you that much of a punk that you have to have a loaded gun in your hands to feel powerful and in control?

I’ve got an all-inclusive answer to my questions for Slager.  Why did he lie, show no remorse, and shoot and kill an unarmed man who was of no threat to him?  That’s an easy one.  He’s a lying, punk a** coward who had no business wearing a badge.

After the release of the video, the police department in North Charleston had little choice but to arrest and charge Slager for Walter Scott’s murder.  There is no dispute to what was seen on the video.  There’s been video evidence of police murder before (as recent as the Eric Garner case), but THIS time, I am hopeful the video evidence will lead to the conviction and swift punishment of Michael Slager.

My heartfelt sympathies are extended to Walter Scott’s family.  I pray for their comfort and healing during this difficult time.  I pray their loved one is given the justice he so rightly deserves.