Mourners were gathering Saturday morning to remember Walter Scott, the black man shot to death by a police officer last weekend in North Charleston, South Carolina.
The funeral is being held in Summerville, about 20 miles from where 50-year-old Scott was killed after fleeing a traffic stop one week ago. On Friday afternoon, people stopped by a wake to pay their respects for the father of four, whose open casket was covered in an American flag and a Dallas Cowboys sign — his favorite team.
Scott was stopped for driving with a broken taillight, and ran from the officer, Michael Slager. The 33-year-old cop has been fired since the shooting, which police and an attorney for Slager said happened because of a tussle over his Taser.
A video taken by a witness showed Slager firing eight shots at Scott's back as he was running away. Scott was apparently unarmed.
Scott owed more than $18,000 in child support and court fees at the time he was stopped. His relatives have said they believe he ran from Slager because he was afraid he would be penalized for the missed payments.
"I believe he didn't want to go to jail again," his father, Walter Scott Sr., told TODAY this week. "He just ran away."
Slager has been charged with murder for his death. On Friday afternoon, activists and the group, Black Lives Matter, attended a rally for Scott at North Charleston City Hall, demanding an end to violence after the latest instance of a white officer shooting an unarmed black man.
IN-DEPTH
- Investigators: We Had Doubts Early After Walter Scott Shooting
- Mother of Cop Who Shot Walter Scott Says Her Son Is 'Good Person'
SOCIAL
— Elizabeth Chuck
First published April 11 2015, 7:19 AM
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1aimk0C
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