The family and friends of Walter Scott are remembering him today, one week after he was shot and killed by a police officer.
Scott's funeral is being held at the W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center in Summerville, South Carolina, about 20 miles away from North Charleston where Scott was fatally shot by Michael Slager on April 4. Slager has since been charged with murder and dismissed from the police department.
"Thank God my brother was used as a catalyst for change." Scott's brother said. "Nobody deserves to go out like that."
Scott's daughter, Samantha, also contributed, reading a poem to the crowd.
"I had your love from the start... You brought so much joy into my life," she said. "I will always be your little girl. But I know I need to grow up and move on. But I will never move on from you."
Pastor George Hamilton then went to the podium.
"It's one thing to have a loved one die... It's another to have to watch them die... and see how they died," he said.
"Walter's death was motivated by racial discrimination," Hamilton said. "You've got to hate somebody to shoot them in the back.
"This officer is a disgrace to the North Charleston Police Department" and to "all of the law abiding" police officers, Hamilton said.
"We will not indict the entire law enforcement for the act of one racist," he continued.
"You don't tase a man and then shoot him," Hamilton said, adding that a "badge is not authority to murder."
The crowd was overwhelming at the entrance to the church before the service, and Scott's family members were asked to raise their hands to be ushered inside the full sanctuary.
The hearse carrying Scott's body was accompanied by a police escort, according to ABC News affiliate WCIV-TV.
Officials attending the service included Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon, Sen. Tim Scott, state Senator Marlon Kimpson and Representatives Mark Sanford and Jim Clyburn.
Mourners gathered Friday afternoon at a wake for Scott, 50, where his open casket was arranged with an American flag, a Dallas Cowboys sign and a small figurine of a player. A flower arrangement next to the casket had a sign reading "Beloved Father" and a ribbon next to the arrangement read "St. Andrews Parish High School Class of 1984."
Slager was charged with murder Tuesday after a witness came forward with video that appears to show the moment when he fatally shot Scott as Scott was running away from him. The victim's family attorney, who gave the video to ABC News, said he believes it could prove that the officer used excessive force.
Slager has not yet had to enter a plea. His attorney, Andy Savage, who was retained by Slager after his first attorney dropped his case, issued a statement to ABC News saying that it is "too early for us to be saying what we think."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1ylIdbh
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