Amazing video of South Carolina police shooting

[Blakenzy]

Despite what may have happened before the camera was rolling, at the time the shooting began there was no opportunity (distance), or intent (increasing distance/fleeing) to harm Slager. Specially notable at the moment of the last shot.

The whole thing just reeks of "you disrespected me so now I'm going to show you who is boss".

[De Selby]

It's a shame there is no video of them on the ground and how it got from there to their feet again


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How would that be relevant?  Every time these threads come up, I'm most surprised to see the bizarre views on self defense.  Multiple lawyers (and a magistrate) often chime in, but still we get the "castle shoot!" "I don't have to deescalate nothin!" and "he twitched!" type comments.  Great for chest pounding, but not so great if any of the posters end up in a real life pickle.

I suppose jury nullification is possible.  Not likely.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I think it will be relevant in that the cops story hinges upon " he grabbed my taser. If he can credibly articulate that he believed the guy to be armed with a weapon he had just taken the next level of force is bang. Its less an issue of what you or i see on video or feel than what he felt and experienced. According to the witness the cop was in control when they were on the ground. Somehow that changed. How that changed will either establish or fail to establish the degree of threat the cop felt. All that will be out the door if he lied about picking up the taser.
I know how desperate that guy felt seeing the lights come on behind him knowing he had warrants. And that much support he was not getting out. It sucks. Your whole life is collapsing your job will be gone likely car too and place to live. Its a trainwreck .
When his brother described him as running for his life it was accurate. But that decision is the last bad one in a series that gets a lot of guys jacked up.


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[Perd Hapley]

How would that be relevant?  Every time these threads come up, I'm most surprised to see the bizarre views on self defense.  Multiple lawyers (and a magistrate) often chime in, but still we get the "castle shoot!" "I don't have to deescalate nothin!" and "he twitched!" type comments.  Great for chest pounding, but not so great if any of the posters end up in a real life pickle.

And even people who were doggedly, insistently, high-handedly, 100% wrong about a high-profile shooting still come back with the same arrogance, about the next high-profile shooting.

[De Selby]

And even people who were doggedly, insistently, high-handedly, 100% wrong about a high-profile shooting still come back with the same arrogance, about the next high-profile shooting.

Ah yes - fistful lecturing on forum etiquette.  That is even more funny than considering how one might escape the murder rap when caught on video taking careful aim at a guy who is running away at distance.

[Perd Hapley]

Ah yes - fistful lecturing on forum etiquette.  

Lecturing you on etiquette? No. I'm just expressing my amazement that you would ever again express an opinion, in this forum, on whether or not a shooting is justified.


OK, probably too harsh. Even the lofty and venerable fistful has been wrong at times. The internet is a silly place.

[TommyGunn]

Remember that the APS definition of rational thought requires comparison to tea party media releases - the general rule here is that if your posts could be from the comments box at a Ted Cruz rally, they will be deemed reasonable.

Anything else, like say, citing studies or putting together an argument that challenges the party line, is inherently irrational.  Questioning basic American conservative beliefs here is like burning the Koran in Tehran.

If there hadn't been a video no doubt there'd be a great controversy and much attacking of the racial equality types who claim that police have an easier time shooting black people.  An interesting hypothetical to consider is whether this video is at all realistic with a white victim.

If you really feel that way, why do you stay?   
There's been plenty of debate and disagreement on this forum; few here "tow any party line," many here disdain standard republican puffery as much as libtard lunacy. 
As far as the video is concerned, while it atleast does show, rather convincingly, that the police officer actually did commit a murder, it does not explain (to me, atleast) precisely what the officer's motives were.
Was he the long sought after white racist cop hunting down the proverbial black man?
Or did the cop simply shoot the guy because (whatever his skin color was) he was commiting "contempt of cop" by running?
Do you have any incisive thoughts on the matter?     Enlighten me, please.

[Firethorn]

Fundraiser is a good example of the fact that some people don't care if the cops commit murder, if they don't like the victim.

Or just have unconditional support for the police.  After all, in 2-3 days, he only managed to get 55 people to pony up less than $30 each.

I remember a guy promising to use the money to learn how to bake cupcakes got more money.

[T.O.M.]

I've stayed out of this one until now.  Frankly, I've been busy with work and life.  I've also been thinking this shooting through, trying to think of the arguments on both sides.  It's what a lawyer does, or at least should do.

I will fully admit that the Martin outcome surprised me.  Not to speak for him, but I'd bet a box of .45 that it surprised DeSelby, too.  But, would the outcome of that trial change the way I approach defense situations?  Not at all.  And I would give the same advice to someone after that verdict as I did before.  I still think Zimmerman made a bad choice to leave his car, and it cost him.  Fortunately for him, not his life.

Also, I freely admit that I am in general an LEO supporter.  Too many years carrying my own badge as a prosecutor, working with LEOs every day. It's who I am.

Now, in this situation, I can't find a way to defend this officer.  The video just lays out a factual scenario I can't find a defense for.  The shooting of a man running away is bad enough.  Then you have what very much appears to be the cop tampering with the crime scene by taking the taser from the spot where he had fired the shots and dropping it next to the body.  You add lies in the statements about providing first aid and performing CPR on the subject...

Like I said, I support LEOs.  But I have also prosecuted LEOs.  And it looks to me that this one needs prosecuted.

[Scout26]

I have to agree with our resident councilors.  (Da boat of dem  ).  This was an execution pure and simple.  Once the suspect/subject broke contact and started running away the option to use (any) force ends.  Whatever had happened prior to that does not matter.

This was murder, tampering with a crime scene, and falsifying a police report among others. 

The officer deserves the death penalty. (which surely would have been the case had the officer been killed)Both for what he did and pour encourager les autres.

[Perd Hapley]

I will fully admit that the Martin outcome surprised me.  Not to speak for him, but I'd bet a box of .45 that it surprised DeSelby, too.  But, would the outcome of that trial change the way I approach defense situations?  Not at all.  And I would give the same advice to someone after that verdict as I did before.  I still think Zimmerman made a bad choice to leave his car, and it cost him.  Fortunately for him, not his life.

It surprised a lot of people; me included. Some people were just more high-handed in predicting that outcome (or even advocating for it).

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Sure, I think a lot of us were surprised by Zimmerman's acquittal.  Recall the blatantly dishonest media narratives and tremendous social/political pressures against Zimmerman.  I didn't expect a fair trial, I expected a thinly-veiled lynching, and I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

I think the difference is that De Selby still believes Zimmerman deserved that lynching.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

To be honest, the past history with Treyvon Martin and Mike Brown has me wary of the current episode in South Carolina.  In both of the earlier cases the media portrayals were completely wrong and completely dishonest, even including doctored tapes and photos. 

At this same point in the Zimmerman story, if you believed the media you thought that Zimmerman was a racist and that he chased Martin around the subdivision.  Both of those proved to be false.

I've not seen the raw video of the Walter Scott shooting, only media reports and replays.  How can I trust that the media hasn't somehow cooked the books on this one, too, just like they did in the past?

[Blakenzy]

Really? How could the video be misinterpreted? (That's an honest question)

Unless Slager can convincingly argue that he knew Scott had a firearm on his person, there was ZERO threat to him at the time of the shooting. You know, I could go as far as to forgive one or two shots, adrenaline, fear and confusion and all, but by the time the 8th shot was fired, Scott was nothing that could be called a threat. Slager shot to put Scott down. The word that best describes his actions would be "predatory", not defensive. It was comparable to a scene from a hunting shoot.

So here is another question: do police have the right to kill you for not submitting to authority?

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Really? How could the video be misinterpreted? (That's an honest question)

Don't know.  But I do know they've done stuff like that before, and I do know not to trust them. 

As an example only, the video doesn't show the whole encounter between Scott and the cop.  At least, not the video I saw.  It starts with Scott turning and running and the cop drawing and firing.  Why did either man do what he did?  Can't tell from the video.  Maybe that makes a difference.  Maybe not

I feel like I don't have the whole story, and I feel like I can't trust the media to play straight with incomplete evidence. 

[Blakenzy]

FWIW CNN and their corporate bimbo Erin whatshername immediately went with the WHITE COP SHOOTS BLACK MAN headline. Clearly sensationalist to say the least. So I do share your distrust of media portrayal of events. Not objective at all. But man, that video is damning.

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

You know, I could go as far as to forgive one or two shots, adrenaline, fear and confusion and all,

Are you joking. You can forgive one or two shots!!  Murder lite???  If he can't control his composure, adrenaline, overcome fear (he applied for a job that you deal with unknowns), and if he is confused easily....HE HAS NO NEED TO BE NEAR A BADGE, GUN, OR WALKING AROUND IN SOCIETY.

one or two shots. Jeez

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

An interesting analysis
It will not fit the narrative
Pay attention to the frame by frame of the cop and the dead guy where the taser is visible
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/04/10/the-walter-scott-shooting-backstory-begins-to-surface-a-newer-bolder-julison-strategy/


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[Blakenzy]

Are you joking. You can forgive one or two shots!!  Murder lite???  If he can't control his composure, adrenaline, overcome fear (he applied for a job that you deal with unknowns), and if he is confused easily....HE HAS NO NEED TO BE NEAR A BADGE, GUN, OR WALKING AROUND IN SOCIETY.

one or two shots. Jeez

Well yes, one or two shots could have been argued for as being taken during a moment of uncertainty of what Scott's next move would be, and when it was clearly apparent that he was disengaging, if no further shots were taken, that would show restraint and that Slager did not intend to kill Scott, just keep him away. Shooting while Scott was 20+ yards away until he collapsed is an entirely different thing. Personally, I think that Slager knew from moment one that Scott was fleeing and not interested in fighting, but I'm playing a bit devils advocate here OK?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

That would work were it not for the witnessed fight


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[MechAg94]

Sure, I think a lot of us were surprised by Zimmerman's acquittal.  Recall the blatantly dishonest media narratives and tremendous social/political pressures against Zimmerman.  I didn't expect a fair trial, I expected a thinly-veiled lynching, and I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

I think the difference is that De Selby still believes Zimmerman deserved that lynching.

I was less surprised by the verdict I guess. I was hoping for acquittal and would have been disappointed in anything else.  At the beginning, I ignored the story for a few days or a week.  By the time I read through all the discussion, a lot of the misinformation and lies had been called out and the events that transpired were more straightforward.  After that, no credible new evidence ever showed up that went against the Zimmerman. 

On this case, I have not watched the video, but have heard and seen lots of discussion.  I can't come up with a good reason for shooting the unarmed, guy who is fleeing.  I keep trying to double check to make I am not being a Monday Morning Quarterback, but I can't come with any good reason to do it.  Yes, I need to go watch the videos and want to see all the video, but mainly to see if anything occured that wasn't known.  I don't want to see anyone railroaded, but if he shot the guy for no good reason it should be at least manslaughter or worse. 

I have heard there was dash cam video and the officer had a micophone on his person.  I am not sure if that video/audio has been released or not. 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

It was released yesterday its pretty tame till you can hear audio of the cop hollering taser. I heard someone say they heard shots but i haven't


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[Jamisjockey]

An interesting analysis
It will not fit the narrative
Pay attention to the frame by frame of the cop and the dead guy where the taser is visible
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/04/10/the-walter-scott-shooting-backstory-begins-to-surface-a-newer-bolder-julison-strategy/


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And?  He was fleeing and no longer had control of the taser.
But you and your cop love, you'll hunt for any justification.

[De Selby]

And?  He was fleeing and no longer had control of the taser.
But you and your cop love, you'll hunt for any justification.

That article is quite funny - Marion Barry fans should do a parody breakdown of the crack bust.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Thats same folks that uncovered some of the travon case nonsense as well as the audio of the witness to the mike brown shooting.
They are 2for 2 so far


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